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Reverend
Richard B. Morrow My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: The state of Georgia, in the 1950’s, was still very undeveloped. The small Catholic population was only one percent, thus it was an exciting destination for mission-minded young Catholic gentlemen called to be priests. The sound of the footsteps of the previous generation of street preachers and itinerant priest missionaries still reverberated among the people of the coastal towns, the hamlets of south Georgia and the mountain villages in the north. Though Catholics were such a small percentage of the population, they were a people of great faith. The fervent practice of their Catholic faith steadily overcame the hatred of the Ku Klux Klan and the prejudices of the deep South. It was into this emerging small but vibrant Catholic community that a young, lanky, enthusiastic mission-minded Dick Morrow entered when he was accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta. Four years later, he completed his theological studies at Saint Bernard Seminary in Rochester, New York and on May 19, 1955, he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest to serve the Church here in Georgia. In those days, part of the formation for the seminarians included summers at the diocesan catechetical camp on the Isle of Hope just outside Savannah. In that evangelical, pastoral atmosphere, the foundations were laid for Dick Morrow to accomplish great priestly ministry over the next half century. Father Morrow’s first regular assignment as a priest was at Saint Patrick’s in Augusta. After that, he served as associate at Our Lady of the Assumption in the Chamblee-North Atlanta area. There, under the unique and straight-forward direction of Monsignor Joseph Moylan, whom he respected very much and from whom he learned much, Father Morrow was one of the only twenty-two priests incardinated into the newly formed Diocese of Atlanta. Soon he would witness the elevation of Atlanta to an Archdiocese and experience the phenomenal growth of the Church here in Georgia. Father Morrow’s first pastorate was at Saint Bernadette’s in Cedartown with a small mission at Carrollton. Later he developed Our Lady in Carrollton into a full-fledged parish where he constructed the new church and rectory. His skill as an organizer and builder became evident so that when a new parish was needed in the Smyrna area, Father Morrow became the founding pastor of Saint Thomas the Apostle Church. From there he went to Saint John’s in Hapeville, Saint Jude’s in Sandy Springs, Prince of Peace in Buford and Good Shepherd in Cumming. In each assignment and at every parish, Father Morrow served the people well in every area of our Catholic life. I was fortunate that on three of my own assignments, I served in neighboring parishes and therefore witnessed his good pastoral, ecumenical and community accomplishments. His priestly service was so consistently exemplary that it is difficult to enumerate just some of them. However, from my perspective over the last fifty years, I see four outstanding ministries and services that Father Morrow faithfully, joyfully and enthusiastically accomplished and they characterize his priestly dedication. Number 1: Home Visitation – From the very beginning of his priesthood, Father Morrow spent large blocks of time knocking on doors, ringing door bells and making home visits. While such visits were affable and social and always conducted in a happy, light manner, they were powerful tools of his priestly ministry. By making those visits, he came to know his people and they came to know him. I’m not speaking here of an occasional spontaneous visit. His visits were planned. They were determined and he took good advantage of the occasions. Thus they were effective. His aim when assigned to a new parish was always to first visit the people in their homes, get to know them, then they can be better served. He remembered and practiced what Jesus said: “I have come to serve and not to be served!” I wonder how many thousands of families in this Archdiocese received a personal visit in their homes from Father Morrow? Number 2: Hospital Visits (or Care of the Sick) – Early in his priesthood, while serving the Veterans Hospital in north Atlanta, Father Morrow learned to put a premium on visitation of the sick, the shut-ins and those in hospitals. Even today, fifty years later, he is a very familiar sight at Piedmont and St. Joseph’s Hospitals as well as other health care centers in this area. Many people appreciate this pastoral service as evidenced by the following. One of the priests in our support group, a pastor on the East Coast, tells the story of meeting a parishioner from this cathedral parish who was visiting in his area. When he heard that this woman was a member here at Christ the King, he said to her: “I know a priest from your parish. His name is Richard Morrow and he is retired there in Atlanta.” Indignantly and forcefully, the woman objected: “Father Morrow is not retired,” she said, “He is very, very active. He is one of our very best priests. He works hard. He visits the sick. He is not retired.” Number 3: The Sacrament of Penance – Among the greatest of the gifts bestowed on a new priest at the time of his ordination is the authority to forgive sins. Acting in the Name and the Person of Jesus, the ordained priest imparts sacramental absolution on those who properly confess their sins. This beautiful sacrament of Reconciliation is not something Father Morrow reserves for Saturday afternoons. Rather, he is out there daily, in home and hospital visitations, inviting people to come to confession (to make a good confession), to be forgiven, to start over again in the Grace of God. This is the ongoing conversion to which we are all called but often fail to make use of this beautiful sacrament. Father Morrow doesn’t lose any such opportunity. Kindly he inquires, he invites, he listens. Then, by the Power of the Keys, he forgives. He reconciles penitents and the Sacred Scriptures are fulfilled: “Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven them!” Number 4: Ministry to Priests – The term “ministry” is not a new word but a very common one. The concept of ministry arises from Jesus Who said: “I have come to serve and not to be served.” Ministry is service -or care - or concern for someone or for a special group in the community. Ministry means reaching out to help or to serve. Reaching out to help brother priests is for Father Morrow a way of life. Since his seminary days and service at Camp Villa Marie, he has facilitated and built up a fraternity among priests. By being available to any priest at any time, by seeking out those who have need, by offering advice and support to brother priests, Father Morrow has himself been a good brother priest. For a number of years he was one of the Vicars for Clergy and that seemed to be the title he appreciated more than any of the many other responsibilities he had the past fifty years! It has not been my intention to present just a biography of Father Morrow. Rather, by directing your attention to the ministries he faithfully offered in his fifty years of priestly service, it is my hope that these comments, these reflections – just like Father Morrow’s service, will bring us closer to the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, is our High Priest. By His life, death and resurrection, He has redeemed us. Through the Catholic Church which He established, He continues to heal us, to nourish us and to sanctify us. He does so in a very striking way by calling men to become priests and to act in His Name. Father Morrow answered that call of the Lord and has been a happy, faithful priest for fifty yeas now. Certainly there are young men here in this congregation today who are also being called by God to become priests. We pray that Father Morrow’s example will inspire you to answer God’s call and become priests of this Archdiocese. And – if Archbishop Gregory wasn’t here, I would even say that perhaps God is calling some of you young men to become missionaries for Oklahoma! Father Morrow, I have known you throughout your fifty years of priesthood. Gathered here today are family and friends, some of them having known you longer than I. Others have come to know you in recent years. I am confident that they and anyone else who knows you would share the same sentiments I dare express: Father Morrow, we know you – we love you – we respect you. We are grateful for your genuineness and for your long and faithful and enthusiastic priestly service. Therefore, we sincerely and wholeheartedly congratulate you as you celebrate your golden jubilee of priesthood. May the good Lord show you the same love and compassion you have shared with us. Congratulations and may Almighty God bless you most abundantly. Most Reverend Eusebius J. Beltran |