50 Years Ago
Fr. Joseph Fumanek, C.R., was appointed pastor of Holy Ghost Parish, Marbury.
About 75 children participated in the second annual “Adventure in Arts” at St. Catherine Parish, Mobile. Instructors included Mrs. Virginia Marlin, Gina Welch, Mrs. Mary C. Kaemmer, Mrs. Sophia Gueret, Joe Newman, Richard De Neefe, Arthur Cash and Blake DeLoach.
Officers of the Mobile General Assembly Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus were Green T. Waggoner, admiral; Louis Bodden, navigator; W. L. Rouse, state master; J. V. Torrans, captain; Ralph Leek, pilot; Guy C. Sherman, comptroller; Clyde Scheen, scribe; and Eddie Guidry, trustee.
Native Mobilian, Very Rev. Hilary Draper, OSB, was elected seventh Abbot of St. Bernard Abbey, Cullman.
Bishop John L. May announced that the Catholic schools in Mobile “were alive and well” with almost every seat filled for the 1972-73 year.
Sister Marie Vincent of Holy Cross Parish, Daphne, took her vows as an Oblate Sister of Providence.
Fr. Eugene Sheridan, C.M., of St. Michael Parish, Auburn, directed a six-week program in reading, arts and crafts and recreation for 30 children in the Moion Apartment Housing.
Marion Diemert of St. Ignatius Parish received the award from the Panhellenic Council for Colleges as the outstanding senior at Bishop Toolen High.
Jare Harbin of St. Peter Parish, Montgomery, was named chairman of the South Montgomery District Boy Scouts.
R. F. Brazier, III, was elected District Deputy of the Gulf Coast States of the Knights of Peter Claver.
25 Years Ago
Marla Torrens, Clare Kenny, Wendy Riviera, Maria Williams and Michelle McGallagher of Our Savior Parish, Mobile, spent a weeklong visit serving their sister-parish in Temascalapa, Mexico. St. Francis Parish in Temascalapa had more than 4,000 parishioners.
For the most part, Catholic churches and schools in south Mobile and Baldwin counties fared well in the wake of Category One Hurricane Danny.
Former members of the Don Bosco Boys Club, founded in the summer of 1947 by Fr. Nelson B. Ziter, SSE, at St. Elizabeth Catholic Parish, Selma, gathered to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
Catholic Social Services distributed more than 1,200 school uniforms to needy families of public, private and parochial school children that had been donated by Command Uniforms of Birmingham who closed their doors in Mobile.
The Catholic Women Club of Dothan held a fare-well reception for Sister Lucy Smoker, M.S.B.T., who had served as Director of Catholic Social Services for seven years.
The Knights of Columbus Council 666 held its installation of officers for 1997-98. Donald Carter was installed as grand knight, Debbie Carter, ladies auxiliary president, and Chip Baugh, chief squire of the Columbian Squires, Archbishop Toolen Circle No. 1312.
Mobile/Baldwin area administrators, teachers, staff and pastors participated in Orientation Day at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Center. More than 7,500 students were preparing to begin classes throughout the Archdiocese of Mobile. Mr. Leland Nagel, Director of Total Catholic Education in the Diocese of Green Bay, Wis., addressed the audience on the topic of “Catholic School Educators: Called to be Jesus Today, Yesterday, Forever.” The Orientation Day was held for the Montgomery Area at St. Bede Parish.
Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Semmes, celebrated its 20th Anniversary with Mass and Dinner.
— Anne Baggett compiles information for Looking Back from past issues of this newspaper. Anne is a member of St. Mary Parish in Mobile.