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2004 MLK Weekend

| 2004 MLK Home | Cultural Diversity Dialogue | History Makers |
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History Makers

This initiative was initiated for the 2004 MLK Celebration Weekend, to be an ongoing recognition program to acknowledge and honor those Black Catholics locally, past and present, who have accomplished great achievements.

Deacon Alfred Mitchell

Deacon Alfred Mitchell is the current President of the National Association of Diaconate Directors.

He is also the Director of Deacon Personnel for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. He is assigned to Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Decatur where he has been a parishioner for twenty-eight years and a deacon since May, 1987.

Deacon Mitchell is married to the former Josie B. Young. They have two adult children, a son who lives in Hawaii and a daughter who lives in the Washington, D. C. area.

In addition to his official duties in the Archdiocese, Deacon Mitchell frequently conducts workshops for lectors, days of reflection and gives retreats for deacons and wives in dioceses around the country. Since 1998, he has been a presenter in the Retreats International Summer Institute at the University of Notre Dame. He is also an accomplished storyteller and this is reflected in his homilies, workshops and retreats.

Mrs. Celeste Ganey

Mrs. Celeste Ganey is the current President of the Atlanta Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women (AACCW).

Shemigrated to Atlanta, like a growing number of us in the Archdiocese, from the rich Catholic heritage of the State of Louisiana. She is a native of Central Louisiana, the Diocese of Alexandria, and has been a faithful and active member of Christ Our Hope Catholic Church in Lithonia since 1992.

Mrs. Ganey is an Alumna of Grambling State University, where she completed her undergraduate studies in Business Administration. She is a Technical Support Analyst at the Sprint Corporation.

She serves as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist and has been a member of the Pastoral Council at her parish. Because of her business administration background, she was instrumental in establishing a viable parish finance structure. In the true sense of the meaning, Mrs. Ganey has come up through the ranks of the AACCW. She has twice served as the president of her parish AACCW, AACCW President of the Northeast Deanery and chair or vice-chair of a number of Archdiocesan-wide AACCW commissions. Her current position as President of AACCW will inevitably propel her in a more active role in AACCW at the national level, where she will, without a doubt, acquit herself with distinction.

Mrs. Mayfern "Mae" Barron

Mrs. Mayfern "Mae" Barron is the current Executive Vice President of the Atlanta Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women (AACCW).

Mayfern Barron has been a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church for 32 years.  She is the mother of five and grandmother of eight. A widow and a bilingual registered nurse, she was first trained at Hospital San Felipe in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Central America. She worked at Crawford Long Hospital of Emory University since 1971, as a registered nurse. She has been Vice-President for three terms and President for two terms of the South Deanery AACCW. She has also been the President of the Women’s Council and a board member of VILLA International at her parish. In addition to the various positions she has held, Ms. Barron has been an active catechist since 1974. As a catechist, she has been working with the youth of Sts. Peter & Paul in coordinating their special youth liturgical programs.

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