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By Thea Jarvis
Visitors to Georgia's St. Simons Island soon learn
that historic Christ Church, founded in 1736 by John and Charles Wesley, is far
and away the most renowned on this golden isle.
What they don't always discover in their island
travels, however, is the quiet charm of St. William's Catholic Church, just
south of Christ Church on Frederica Road.
The simple mission-style building brings to mind
the early evangelists of north Florida and south Georgia, Spanish Jesuits and
Franciscans who brought the Christian faith to native American Indians and gave
their lives in the process.
St. William's Chapel itself began as a mission of
St. Francis Xavier Church in Brunswick in 1929. Nestled in the shade of the
massive live oaks that abound on the island and sheltered by palms and
flowering azaleas, the chapel could initially accommodate only 96 faithful
parishioners.
Currently, the church has a capacity of 298,
thanks to a chapel addition completed in 1961. The enlargement preserved the
mission-style appeal of the original structure while "allowing many
parishioners to be seated during Mass for the first time in 15 years,"
according to the souvenir dedication booklet of December 3, 1961.
The remarkable simplicity of the church harmonizes
easily with the peaceful solitude of St. Simons.
White-washed exterior walls support a
Florentine-tiled roof boasting two bell towers, one of which is an impressive
two-tiered campanile, the architectural highlight of the 20-year-old addition.
Standing watch over island residents and visitors who pass by on historic
Frederica Road are two small statues of St. Joseph and St. Anthony, sentried in
carved niches on the church's east side.
Up the tabbied entrance steps -- made of oyster
shells, lime and sand -- and through heavy wooden doors, the church interior is
gentle and subdued.
A rustic beamed ceiling, wooden flooring carpeted
here and there for protection, and sturdy wooden pews are bathed in light by
pastel-paned windows somewhat faded with age in the older section of the
chapel.
The architectural marriage of the old to the new
is not readily detectable inside, except perhaps in the relative newness of the
added windows and the difference in ceiling style. Reverence for the early
traditions of St. Williams, whose patron is the 12th century Italian
monk William the Abbot, is still evident in the altar statues of the Blessed
Mother and St. Joseph, which were donated when the original chapel was
constructed.
Over the years, priests from the Society of Mary
(Marists) have ministered to the Catholic community of St. Simons Island.
According to Father Charles Barrett, SM, presently
associate pastor at St. William's, the Marists came to Brunswick in 1897 and
served eight counties in south Georgia and north Florida. To help support their
mission ventures, the priests were put in charge of Sacred Heart Church in
Atlanta.
Father Barrett, who taught at Marist School in
1942 and preached his first sermon in St. Joseph's Church in Marietta, found it
"a joy to come to St. Simon's."
The hospitable priest estimated that there are
about 300 people on the parish list, but more accurately a total of 600
Catholics who now attend St. William's, plus, of course "a tremendous number of
visitors."
Father Barrett has had a long and varied tenure in
the Marist community, including a term as provincial for the order in
Washington, D.C. After a year and a half on St. Simons, his future plans call
for a move to the African missions.
It's not that he doesn't like the island, mind
you. "It's so nice I feel uncomfortable," he admitted with a twinkle in his
eye.
For all those seeking the peaceful comfort that
St. Simons promises, be sure to stop at St. William's for a sense of the
island's unique Catholic history.
Daily Mass is celebrated at 8:15 a.m.; Saturday
evening Mass at 5:35 p.m.; and Sunday Masses at 8 and 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
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