Print Issue: May 23, 2002

A Time For Everything Under The... Hot... Sun:
Supporters Of New Athens Catholic High School Celebrate

By Rebecca Rakoczy, Staff Writer

ATHENS - First there was no electricity for the microphones. Then the bowl for the holy water broke.

The glitches didn't let those gathered here miss a beat, for they were minor problems in the face of a joyful reason: to attend the blessing of the grounds for a new Catholic high school. A new bowl was found and electricity supplied, thanks to the generosity of a neighbor, as officials here unveiled the school's name, Msgr. Walter J. Donovan Catholic High School, during the school's dedication ceremony held May 9. Present was Msgr. Donovan, the school's namesake and 86-year-old patriarch of Catholic education in Athens, and more than 100 supporters, including St. Joseph elementary school students. They endured a particularly broiling May morning sun to cheer on the project that has been a dream for years.

St. Joseph's pastor Father Victor Reyes blessed the ground as St. Joseph principal Sister Mary Glackin, IHM, led the crowd in the song "Holy Ground."

"This is the natural extension of everything that has happened," said Tom Scott, vice-chairman of Northeast Georgia Catholic High School, Inc., which has spearheaded the school development effort.

With a target opening date of August 2003, enrollment is expected to be 40-60 freshman and sophomore students; a new grade will be added each year until it becomes a four-year high school.

The school's namesake was the guest of honor, but didn't know it until he was surprised by the announcement at the blessing.

"Father Donovan has believed in faith-based education since St. Joseph's school opened," said Scott. At the time, Msgr. Donovan was pastor of the church which served Catholics in 22 counties. He was also instrumental in opening up Athens' collegiate Catholic center.

As founding pastor of St. Joseph's School, Athens, in 1949, Msgr. Donovan has been a long-time supporter of Catholic education, said Vince Dooley, athletic director of the University of Georgia, who, with his wife Barbara, chairs the development committee for the new high school. The couple are members of St. Joseph's Church.

"I wish that our four children could have gone to a Catholic high school, but I'm excited that our grandchildren now have that opportunity," Dooley said.

Although he was surprised by the announcement, Msgr. Donovan quickly rose to the occasion, joking with the crowd and giving them a little history lesson on Catholic education in northeast Georgia.

"When I came here in 1948, there was already big pressure to open a parish school," he said. "And there weren't many Catholics then (in Athens)." This was, of course, before a certain University of Georgia football coach came to town, he joked.

But while the school opened with just 35 students, through the efforts of Msgr. Donovan and the Pennsylvania-based Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the concept of a Catholic high school took considerably longer to get off the ground.

"I have begged for this for a long time," said Barbara Dooley. "But there is a time for everything ... and we have hit the time to build this school." The Dooleys' children attended St. Joseph's and one of their grandchildren is currently enrolled at the school.

The school's crest of navy, silver and white, with artistic renderings representing family, diversity, education and the church, symbolizes that "we are founded and built around faith," she said.

(L-r) Irene Powers and Marie and John Conner stake out a shady spot on the prospective site of the northeast Georgia Catholic high school during the May 9 blessing and dedication. All three benefactors of the high school were parishioners of St. Joseph Church, Athens, when Msgr. Walter J. Donovan was the pastor and their children attended the parish elementary school.

Many older supporters of the project wiped away tears as Tony Totis presented Msgr. Donovan with a framed crest with the school's name emblazoned on it.

"My family came to America 51 years ago, (with nowhere to live). Father Donovan moved out and let us use his bedroom . . . and that's where we lived for six months," said Totis, who saw the beginnings of the St. Joseph grade school. "It is an honor and a pleasure to bring him here." Totis drove Msgr. Donovan, who is retired and in residence at Sacred Heart Church, Atlanta, to the construction site.

The new high school will be built on 104 acres off Lavender Road in northeast Athens. The property was purchased for $250,000 three years ago by the nonprofit corporation NEGCHS, which was structured to allow for the use of bond financing. Supporters recently kicked off a $3 million capital campaign for the school.

The next step for the high school, which is expected to hold 300 students when at full capacity, will be the permit process that will continue until early this fall; by Oct. 1 the site will be graded, said Terry Trotochaud, a board member. A search committee has been formed to hire a principal.

The new high school will be completely self-supporting and will not be funded by the Archdiocese of Atlanta. However, it will operate as an archdiocesan school, said Judith Mucheck, superintendent of schools.