NOVEMBER 9, 2006
Reprinted from The Georgia Bulletin, The Newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
New Archdiocesan Office To Assist With Worship
ERIKA ANDERSON, Staff Writer, Published: November 9, 2006
ATLANTA-For the past five months a new archdiocesan office has been quietly assisting parishes and the Archdiocese of Atlanta as a whole in creating rich, tradition-filled liturgies.
Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory officially established the archdiocesan Office of Divine Worship this past June and appointed Father Theodore Book as its director. The purpose of the office, Father Book said in an e-mail, “is to assist the parishes and the archdiocese to worship God in ways that are as rich and beautiful as possible.” “Its primary scope is to be a resource for the parishes by providing programs and workshops that are useful to parish clergy, volunteers and staff and by being available to answer questions or provide help in other ways,” he said.
Archbishop Gregory, whose own background is in liturgy he has his doctorate in sacred liturgy and once taught liturgy at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois first established the Atlanta Liturgical Commission in 2005. The Office of Divine Worship, Father Book said, was created in conjunction with the commission.
Father Book holds a license in sacred liturgy from the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome and was ordained in 2002. He said he is looking forward to assisting more parishes with their liturgical needs.
“My hope is that the office can become a resource that is useful for all of the worshiping communities that we have in the diocese whether they be small or large, urban or rural, of all ethnic backgrounds,” he said, adding that he is counting on Atlanta Catholics to assist him.
“To do that, I know that I will need the help of many people but knowing the wonderful kindness of the people of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, I am sure that we can put together a program that will reflect the many talents and perspectives that make Atlanta such a great place to be Catholic.”