By Evie Brown

The remodeled Our Lady of the Assumption Church was rededicated Dec. 19 by Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan and the parish priests, only five days before the rush of Christmas activities.

Father William F. Seli, pastor, was "determined to celebrate Christmas in the new church, ready or not," and the builders worked overtime to finish the extensive work at the church, located on Hearst Drive in northeast Atlanta.

The building was finished on schedule, but parishioners crowding inside for the dedication had to ascend a plywood ramp because the landscaping work outside was not completed.

The remodeling, which has been going on for four months, combines the old and new.

Entering the remodeled church, the altar and altar platform are to the right, against a long wall. The new, padded pews are built on rising platforms and surround the altar in a semi-circle to give a "community" effect during Mass. The building seats 560. The new rising pews provide better visibility than the original, level, oak pews, which were sold, mostly to parishioners.

The original altar of white Carrera marble was cut into five pieces. Now, one large slab rests horizontally on four vertical ones. The altar still rests on the original marble platform, but both were moved to the new location.

A daily chapel and a reserve Eucharist chapel were added in the remodeled building, the daily chapel replacing the choir loft. The choir will now be seated with the rest of the congregation.

The old ceiling of steel beams and tile was covered and replaced with cedar.

The remodeling, a parish project involving the talents of many at OLA, was decided upon by the parish earlier in 1981, after an attempt to build a new church did not meet with the necessary financial support. During the construction process, Mass was celebrated daily in the parish hall, which also serves as the school cafeteria and assembly hall. The parish priests, Father Seli, Father Edward J Murray and Father Mark G. Kenney, presented a five-week series of homilies on the development of the Liturgy and changes in the church, and held meetings each Saturday to answer questions about the remodeling.

At the 90-minute rededication service, Archbishop Donnellan anointed the altar and the walls and watched the church's incensing. Before the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the candles on the altar and around the church were lit for the first time. A reception for some 200 parishioners, hosted by Teesie Hotard for the Parish Council was held afterward in the Parish Hall.

A team of three parishioners, Doug Anderson, Mike Byrne and Patricia Johnston, served as artistic consultants for the renovation, designing the theme window in the renewed Church.

The motif of the blue stained-glass window is "Mary, Mother of the Church," but, according to Father Seli, "the window incorporates symbols we associate with the Assumption -- the mood under Mary's feet and the crown of twelve stars on her head."

The team also collaborated on the design of the other blue- gray- and brown-toned stained glass windows that replaced the original gold-toned windows.

Another church member, John Mion, laid the quarry tile in the Commons area. The simplicity of the tile enhances the beauty of the theme window there. Parishioner Bill Fritsch installed the new carpet, Dan Rapp served as the electrical design consultant and Karl Decker advised in the area of structural design.

Harry deMeza, chairman of the Parish Renovation and Renewal Committee, and Jim Goda and Trent Germano of the Parish Council, spent many hours working with the contractors -- Bon Building Service, Inc. of Decatur.