By Priscilla Greear, Staff Writer

ATLANTA—People attending missions in September at St. Peter Chanel Church, Roswell, and the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, experienced hope and the healing power of God’s love that flows from the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the days and weeks following the terrorist attacks.

Some were dramatically impacted by the missions, returning to the sacraments after many years. Others saw the enthronement of the Sacred Heart in their homes as a way to grow in family prayer or to bring Christ more into daily life.

The missions were led by Father Bill Gaffney, CSsR, and Gloria Anson of the Sacred Heart Apostolate based in Syracuse, N.Y.

The missions help people to become more aware of Jesus’ love, to enter into a relationship with him, or to deepen the relationship, and to learn how, through the enthronement of a Sacred Heart image, to bring Jesus to the center of home life.

The St. Peter Chanel mission, held Sept. 10-14, drew 400 to 700 people each night, including a large number of families and young children.

Mary Beth and Ken Lipe, parishioners of St. Joseph Church in Marietta, have been married for 28 years and attended the Roswell mission as a couple. Both appreciated the simplicity of its message.

Mrs. Lipe was most touched by the “simple truth of the profound love of Christ for everyone” and by the “healing that comes from the Eucharist and that beating heart of Jesus.”

“We all need to know the love of Jesus. When we know that love, we share that. I felt that here,” she said. “It was just a very simple, peaceful experience of God’s love.”

The Lipes are involved in the Marriage Encounter ministry, but Ken Lipe said that the mission gave him additional spiritual reinforcement.

“You need spiritual things like this to go to and go through to give yourself a boost,” he said.

Lipe said that he and his wife would “debrief” on the way home from each mission session. They were both surprised and pleased by the many families who attended.

“One of the things that was so beautiful was seeing all the young mothers and fathers who brought their children and knowing that these kids are going to remember this and it is helping to foster their Catholicism,” he said.

Rich Dittus, a parishioner of St. Peter Chanel, was one of those fathers who attended the mission with his wife and five of his six children.

“This has been wonderful. It’s so neat that you can bring your whole family. There is something for everyone,” he said.

The night of the terrorist attacks, Dittus was especially moved by the session, during which the children led the Pledge of Allegiance.

“With all that is happening in our country, I think it is so important that we can come together as a parish community.”

During the mission, St. Peter Chanel parishioner Rusty Sosebee attended the penance service, which was the focus Sept. 12. He felt led to go to confession, a sacrament he had not returned to for 30 years, along with the Eucharist. The separation began when he lived for four years in Saudia Arabia where there are no Catholic churches. About 10 years ago he came back to Mass, but not to the sacraments.

“We sang the song ‘How Great Thou Art,’ my grandmother’s favorite song. Something just came over me and I felt a chill just go down my back and I decided to go to confession . . . It was like my grandmother was watching over me and told me to do something right,” he said. “It was like a big weight was lifted off. I breathed a big sigh of relief.”

He received the Eucharist the following Sunday at Mass and within 10 days read the entire Bible.

“I’m thankful it happened and I feel real good about it. It’s kind of good to come home again,” he said. “I feel more involved with the Mass.”

Michelle Miralles, a parishioner of St. Peter Chanel, said that the mission opened her eyes to a new dimension in her prayer life.

“It has made me realize how we can speak, in a different way, of praying,” she said. “An icon in our house is like the face of Jesus sitting in front of you, speaking to you.”

She was appreciative of the leaders of the mission, who spoke on a special level to the children.

“They have a wonderful gift toward children,” she said. “I wish there were more people like that who could reach out to the children.”

The Cathedral mission, held Sept. 24-28, drew about 450 single and married people each night. Rosemary Nieva, a parishioner at St. James Church, McDonough, came from her parish with a desire to become an enthronement leader.

“This has been absolutely beautiful, very inspiring. You can see the love Father (Gaffney) has and the love (Gloria) Anson has and how they want to share it. And in these terrible times we’re living in, I think every home needs protection. We need this (enthronement) now more than ever.”

A widow, she already has the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary enthroned in her home, and looks forward to spreading the act of enthronment to others. She noted the importance of priests’ support from the pulpit in helping the focus upon Jesus in the home to grow.

The icon “is a reminder,” she said. “It’s like when you have pictures of your family, you want to share it. When you’re alone, you don’t feel like you’re alone.”

Cathedral parishioner Uzo Akpele, who attended the entire mission, grew up in an enthroned home in Nigeria, where her family gathered regularly in front of the Sacred Heart image to pray the rosary. Now married, she looks forward to having her home enthroned.

“I take always that devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It’s been very fruitful. It kept me on the narrow path, our Lord’s path that was good. I’m happy this has come to our parish,” she said. “Just looking back I saw my parents grow closer. I watched their relationship change so much for the better. They did every single thing together . . . That’s the kind of thing I hope to bring to my home and help me with my family life.”

She added that she particularly was moved by the times of eucharistic adoration during the mission.

“I’ve loved the adoration parts. It’s always a special time when our Lord is exposed. I believe in the true presence,” she said.

Television anchor Russ Spencer came two nights to the mission between his 6 and 10 p.m. broadcasts on Fox 5 Atlanta, to help gather information for his pastor, Father Joe Corbett of St. Brigid Church, Alpharetta, about how to make the ministry available there.

Spencer, who is married and has five children, plans to enthrone his home with an image of the Sacred Heart in a display case and to lead enthronement ceremonies through his parish. He’s still not clear how the process will take place, but believes Father Corbett will offer training this fall and is glad to help the parish get involved.

“Anything that reinforces the centrality of God in our family life is a good thing, and to the extent it might be something everybody in the parish might like to do, it might be a way of bringing the parish more together,” he said. “My basic feeling is I think the idea of having the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a prominent place in the home is a good thing because it acts as a daily reminder of what’s most important in your life, your family and God, period. We all have reminders around our house, but this is going an extra step to reinforce that belief.”

Cathedral parishioner Teddy Wiegand, like Spencer, didn’t understand the significance of home enthronement beforehand but decided to come after hearing about the mission from a friend. He believes being open is “the secret to growing in your faith” and that God led him to the mission for a reason. Enthronement for him would be a significant, public commitment to Christ.

“The challenge requires that I take my faith, which I had considered to be very private, and profess it in a very public way. To enthrone my home, I must invite the public to witness the ceremony. It will be a big step.”

“I think everybody in here is in here for a reason. I don’t think it’s random or arbitrary,” he said. “For people of faith—there’s no question having this in your home makes it a lot harder to get away from Christ’s influence in our lives.”

As Americans face anxiety and false prophets who prey on their fears, Wiegand believes events like the mission help instill in worshippers peace, grace, comfort and courage to “be not afraid” and carry on in faith.

Brian Lorei, a member of Holy Spirit Church, Atlanta, who lives alone, brought with him a note his mother had written him seven years ago, telling him how excited she was to have her home enthroned. She believes it has provided protection to homes in her area.

“I think it’s time for me to have my place enthroned. The time is now,” he said. “It brings an increased presence (of Jesus) into the home.”

Ron and Bonnie Carr also came to the Cathedral mission as a couple. Mrs. Carr recalled the devotion from her youth where nuns gave her a Sacred Heart badge, and noted the devotion faded after the Second Vatican Council. She decided to be an enthronement leader after reading an article about it in The Georgia Bulletin.

“The archbishop called on people to do this. I’m just answering the call to do this. When I read the article, I felt it was something I needed to do.”

A convert who is studying for the diaconate, Mr. Carr sees the devotion as another delectable dish in the Catholic Church some may choose to grow in faith. He believes it is an instrument that fosters group prayer in families.

“The banquet table, it’s full of good food for your human body and many devotions give you food for your spiritual life and you’re free to choose” whether or not to follow them, he said.

“The Lord Jesus says there are many rooms in the mansion. The Sacred Heart is another room, another means of spirituality for Catholics, another devotion . . . If you wish to partake, it can bring blessings to your life.”

Reporter Erika Anderson also contributed to this article.