Priest Honored For Work At Marist School

Published: November 20, 2003

ATLANTA—Nearly 400 members of the Marist School St. Peter Chanel, SM Society gathered at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Atlanta to honor a Marist School favorite and longstanding leader Father James Hartnett, SM, on Thursday, Nov. 12. Father Hartnett received the St. Peter Chanel, SM Award in recognition of his constant support over 29 years of Marist School and his enthusiasm for its role in private Catholic education.

“To summarize in a single page the impact of Father James L. Hartnett, SM, on the life of Marist School is impossible. To understand his impact, simply observe the outpouring of love and respect demonstrated by decades of Marist students, many of whom return to the school year after year just to see Father Hartnett,” said Dr. James Tally, chairman of the Marist School board of trustees and president and CEO of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

When Father Hartnett retired in 2001, he had been president of the school since 1989. He began his work at Marist as a social studies, religion and Latin teacher in 1955, a job he did until 1957. From 1962 to 1965, he was both a teacher and the school’s business manager. He served as the principal of Marist School from 1971 to 1982.

The Marist School award is named for Peter Chanel, the first martyr and patron saint of Oceania. As a part of the founding of the Marist religious order, Chanel was assigned to evangelize the teachings of Catholicism in Western Oceania. When the chief’s son asked to be baptized, the chief sent a band of warriors to “remove” the missionary. Peter Chanel was martyred on April 28, 1841 and canonized on June 12, 1954 by Pope Pius XII.

Inspired by the patron saint’s example, Marist established the St. Peter Chanel, SM Society, which includes alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the school. Through their contributions of leadership gifts to the annual fund, they demonstrate a belief in the enduring values of education and provide Marist School with a foundation for continued achievement and distinction.

An annual dinner, sponsored this year by Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, was held to honor this special group of Marist School supporters and the St. Peter Chanel, SM Award recipient. Talley said of the honoree, “Father Hartnett’s ability to weave himself into the fabric of the families at Marist School inspires the devotion of everyone in the Marist School community…Unwavering, unyielding, undaunted, Father Hartnett’s leadership has provided a foundation for generations of students to continue lifelong service in Christ.”