Four Lay Catholics To Receive Papal Honors

By MARY ANNE CASTRANIO, Staff Writer

Published: September 11, 2003

ATLANTA—Four lay Catholics, two men and two women, have been granted papal honors by Pope John Paul II, recognizing decades of service to the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Papal honors will be presented to Olga Casteleiro de Goizueta, Fred and Virginia Hedges, and Alex W. Smith on Monday, Sept. 22.

Over the years, these individuals have supported the body of Christ in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, working variously to promote the growth of their parishes, foster Catholic education, provide opportunities for spiritual retreats and assist the church at the archdiocesan level.

Induction into the Order of St. Gregory the Great is an award made by the recommendation of the archbishop, to acknowledge an individual’s noteworthy service to the Catholic Church. It is the highest honor a lay Catholic can receive.

These papal honors, the first to be given in the archdiocese since 1998, recognize many, many years of “outstanding service to the church.”

In appreciation, Mrs. Goizueta and Mrs. Hedges have been named Dames of St. Gregory the Great, while Mr. Smith and Mr. Hedges have been named Knights of St. Gregory the Great.

Archbishop John F. Donoghue has nominated others for papal honors twice before during his time in Atlanta. Alluding to his recent 75th birthday, an age at which the pope can choose to let a bishop retire, he said, “As my tenure as the Ordinary may be coming to an end, I want these people to know how much their service to the church has meant to me.”

“I wish to publicly recognize these special members of my flock and honor them for all their efforts in helping to build up the kingdom of God in this archdiocese.”

“I’m delighted that these four people are being honored in this way. They are outstanding in every sense of the word: generous and dedicated to Christ and their fellow men and women.”

The presentations will be made at a vespers service at the Cathedral of Christ the King, at which Archbishop Donoghue will preside. The 7:30 p.m. service on Sept. 22 will be followed by a reception. All are welcome to attend.

Individual profiles of the four recipients show a diversity of involvement and service.

Olga Goizueta

Olga Casteleiro de Goizueta will be honored as a Dame of St. Gregory, a special honor for this very humble person.

Archbishop Donoghue noted that Mrs. Goizueta is quite low key about her work in the archdiocese. However, he felt that her giving of time and money over the years deserves recognition.

“Olga’s generosity to the archdiocese overwhelms me,” said Archbishop Donoghue. “Never have I met a lady who is so committed to her Catholic faith in thought, word, deed and action. Her generosity to the Catholic school system in the archdiocese and to some of my personal initiatives has been and continues to be unceasing. She stood by me during a very difficult time for the archdiocesan school system. She was willing to take a risk on Catholic education when critics said it could not possibly work. For this I will be forever grateful.”

Olga Goizueta was born in Havana, Cuba. She and Roberto C. Goizueta were married in 1953. In 1960, after the communists assumed power in Cuba and nationalized businesses, Roberto, Olga and their children left for Miami. This experience changed their lives and outlook forever.

Within 30 years of leaving Cuba, Mr. Goizueta was leading an American company that symbolized freedom around the world: the Coca-Cola Company.

Mr. and Mrs. Goizueta believed that every person who enjoys freedom and opportunity has a duty to cherish, protect and nurture it.

To acknowledge their gratitude to the United States, they established The Goizueta Foundation in 1992. The purpose of the foundation is to assist organizations that empower individuals and families through educational opportunities to improve the quality of their lives.

Mrs. Goizueta continues to chair the foundation’s executive committee. She believes strongly in the opportunities afforded by quality education.

Through her leadership, The Goizueta Foundation continues to partner with many schools and human service nonprofit organizations in the state of Georgia.

Mrs. Goizueta is a parishioner at Holy Spirit Church in Atlanta. As part of her special focus on education, on the lower level of Holy Spirit Church the Carlos Goizueta Educational Center was established through a gift of the Goizueta family. The center, which contains classrooms and other facilities, is named in memory of her son, Carlos, who died of leukemia in 1970.

Karen Vogtner, principal of St. John the Evangelist School in Hapeville, one of the many schools that has benefited from the foundation, notes that Mrs. Goizueta has “touched the heart of every single person” at the school. “She gives of herself and takes a personal interest in others. She is such a special person. It was such a gift to meet such an amazing person.”

Mrs. Goizueta, shared Ms. Vogtner, while humble and unassuming, is truly a role model. “She is true to her faith and exemplifies someone who gives. I can’t think of a person more worthy of this honor.”

Fred and Virginia Hedges

Fred and Virginia Hedges will be honored as a Knight and a Dame of St. Gregory, respectively, for their generous spirits and noteworthy accomplishments.

“The Hedges have been generous givers of their time and expertise,” said Archbishop Donoghue. “They have given a lot of property to the archdiocese, especially the retreat center in Hoschton, which has been a big help to the diocese. I’m thrilled to be able to give them this honor.”

Mrs. Hedges, a native of Chattanooga, Tenn., moved to Atlanta at a young age, while her husband was born and raised in Atlanta. Both consider themselves to be “cradle” Catholics.

“We grew up on the south side of Atlanta with only a handful of Catholics,” said Mr. Hedges. Mrs. Hedges went to Catholic schools during her formative years and went to work for the Federal Reserve Bank.

Mr. Hedges served in the 20th Armored Division in World War II. He earned his bachelor of business administration in real estate and insurance from Georgia State in 1951.

Mr. Hedges worked for 44 years in the insurance business, where he was a partner in Rives, Massey and Hedges Agency and an owner in Manry and Heston, both well-known Atlanta companies.

After they married, Virginia’s business was babies. Married 54 years, the Hedges have eight children, 27 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren in their happy family. Mr. Hedges notes that for the last 12 years, the entire family has vacationed together.

Instrumental in the growth of several parishes around the archdiocese, the Hedges first settled in Hapeville, where they were part of the beginning of St. John the Evangelist Church. They moved on to St. Thomas More in Decatur, where they were parishioners for 10 years. For the next 33 years, they were active members of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Atlanta, where they worked in the RCIA program. They are now parishioners at St. Matthew’s Church in Winder, where, they joke, they are the “grandparents” of the parish.

Mr. Hedges has long been an active participant in the Cursillo movement and served as the rector for the 100th men’s weekend in the archdiocese.

He is also proud of his work with the Kairos prison ministry, in which he ministers to inmates leaving prison for new lives. He has served in the St. Vincent de Paul Society for almost 50 years and was president of the St. Matthew’s conference.

The Hedges’ life work, however, can be found in the idyllic pastures of Jackson County, where they built a retreat center meant to be a haven for prayer and contemplation. Mr. Hedges urges all to come and see the beauty of God’s country there.

They bought 200 acres in 1970 to see if it could be used as a place of retreat. The haven they built eventually became the Carmel Retreat Center and is run by both Mr. and Mrs. Hedges.

Mr. and Mrs. Hedges are quite a team and “work together real well.” Mrs. Hedges schedules the events there, does the bookkeeping and cleans the 12,000-square-foot facility (along with some helpers). Mr. Hedges, now retired from the insurance business, spends quite a bit of time mowing the lawn on the property. He is also developing the land around the center and has been involved in the real estate business.

Mr. Hedges said that this honor bestowed on him and his wife is great. “I can’t absorb and take it all in.” Mrs. Hedges really thought it was a joke “until I saw the letterhead.” She said that Archbishop Donoghue has been so wonderful, and “we want to be in his graces.”

Alex W. Smith

Alex Smith will be honored as a Knight of St. Gregory, an honor given to those distinguished for personal character, reputation and noteworthy accomplishments.

Smith said this honor comes as an “absolute and total surprise.”

“I was thunderstruck,” he said. “I thought you had to do something spectacular” to get this honor. “I just plugged along.”

Archbishop Donoghue noted that Smith “has been an outstanding Catholic.”

“He comes from an old-time Catholic family. His family was a prestigious Catholic family during a time when there were very few Catholics here.”

According to the archbishop, “Alex has worked on every major campaign in the archdiocese and has been very generous not only with donations but also with using his time to raise money for building new buildings and enlarging facilities.”

Smith, a senior partner with the Atlanta law firm Smith, Gambrell & Russell, was honored earlier this year with a lifetime achievement St. Thomas More Award. This award recognized his long and distinguished service as a lawyer for more than 50 years, as well as his commitment to the Atlanta community. Smith was the first recipient of this award in Atlanta.

Born in Atlanta, he is the son of the late Alexander Wyly and Laura (Payne) Smith. He attended Marist High School, graduating in 1941, and went on to attend Holy Cross College in Worchester, Mass.

From January 1943 to January 1946, he served in World War II in the U.S. Air Force.

Smith received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Georgia in 1948 and a law degree cum laude in 1949.

As counsel for the archdiocese for nearly two decades, Smith observed the growth of the Catholic Church in the archdiocese while he served in that capacity.

Smith, a fund of knowledge about the history of the church here, reminisced from his office high atop Atlanta’s beautiful skyline, “I attended Christ the King when it was first being formed.” Mass was then held in an old home. His parents and grandparents were also very active in the formation of the Cathedral parish.

He served as chairman of the educational committee for Christ the King School, helping it become accredited. In addition to his work with the school, he is also the former chairman of the parish school board and past president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Smith remembers when Marist first moved out to its current location on Ashford-Dunwoody Road from its original site on Ivy Street in Atlanta. He said, “Marist had to struggle for years, being way out in the country.”

Smith went on to serve on the board of directors for the school in the 1960s. He said that the first years were so hard that the directors “had to pay director fees, instead of receiving them.” He is proud of the success that the school has become.

Smith is also proud of his work as director and secretary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home. He has served on the board and assisted with their civic and legal affairs for 40 years.

Smith said, “In the South, I am a double oddity: a Catholic and a Republican. And I have remained both.” In truth, he has been “plugging along” for all his life, being a reminder to others of what being a Catholic is all about.

He has been married for 57 years to the former Betty Haverty. They are the proud parents of two daughters and five sons, the grandparents of 17, and the great-grandparents of seven.