Saint Gerard's Parish broke ground for their new Parish Center Sunday, May 21. The center will consist of a parish hall, six classrooms for religious education, a kitchen and a meeting room. The $115,000 facility will be located just south of the present church on Highway 27. It is due to be completed in approximately three months. Pat Bales of Chattanooga is the architect and Larry Duke of Chattanooga is in charge of construction.

Saint Gerard's Parish has been located in Fort Oglethorpe since 1946 when a large amount of the old Army property was purchased by the Archdiocese of Atlanta, under the leadership of the late Father Joseph Driscoll, CSsR. The old officers' quarters, barracks, swimming pool and surrounding land were put to good use for 10 years as an area for Saint Gerard's Parochial School, and as a summer camp for poor children from the Northwest Georgia area. The school closed several years ago and the buildings and property have been sold. The priests in charge of Saint Gerard's Parish, Father Schantz, CSsR, pastor, and Father Jerlinski, CSsR, assistant, live at 309 Barnhardt Circle. Eventually, the parish plans to build a new residence for the priests between the present church and the new hall.