By Father Gerald Peterson

A spirit of renewal in the faith was generated at the two small churches of St. Mark in Clarkesville and St. Helena in Clayton between Sept. 27 and Oct. 3. The parish mission was preached by Father Richard Kiernan, director of the Catholic Education Office in Atlanta and deacon candidate, Mr. Robert Dotson of Atlanta.

At St. Mark Church, the attendance was generally between 35-40 adults each evening for the four nights of the mission. Among those attending were three inactive Catholics and four who were interested in the Catholic Church. Two individuals came simply as a result of interest stirred through a news article and an advertisement put in the local Tri-

County News.

In Clayton at the St. Helena Mission, 60 percent of the regular parishioners were in attendance. Among those present for the three evenings were nine inactive Catholics and three Protestant guests.

In order that the spirit of renewal might continue after the parish mission, the parishioners were asked to commit themselves to involvement in the parish through joining one committee of service and to a commitment of daily prayer and Scripture reading. All were also encouraged to form small Scripture and prayer groups or to find support in movements such as the Cursillo or Marriage Encounter or some other prayer group.

Much of the success of the parish mission can be attributed to several months of planning with a small committee and Father Richard Kiernan. The pastor, two sisters and several lay people visited all the known inactive Catholics of the area prior to the mission and also contacted others interested in the Catholic faith. A catechumenate program has been started at St. Mark’s. Six people have expressed an interest in learning more about the Catholic Church with a view of becoming members.