The new Sacred Heart Church on MacArthur Drive in Griffin was dedicated on Saturday evening, December 18 at 5:30 p.m. Close to 400 people attended the solemn and traditional Dedication Mass. Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan, as principal celebrant, was joined by vice-chancellor, Father Peter Ludden, Father Edward Gray CSR, pastor, Father James McGonagle, CSSR, assistant pastor, other Redemptorists of the community who serve the outlying counties, plus other area priests.

Once inside the church, Mr. Henry Fullilove and Mrs. Anne Hortz, representing all the men and women involved in any way in the planning and building of the church, presented the keys and plans of the church to the archbishop. The archbishop then proceeded to bless water and with new holy water, sprinkle the people, walls and altar.

In his homily for the occasion, Archbishop Donellan remarked, “What we are about here is both sacred and mysterious. We are not here by accident. This church was built by dedication, constancy and sacrifice. You will sense Christ’s presence in the church, in the words of the Bible, in the prayers of the faithful, in the celebration of Mass.”

Then, comparing the new church to the one he was brought up in, he described the church as “the center of our lives, the focal point of interest, and the one house in the neighborhood that was home to all of us.” He called the church a “house of salvation and grace.”

After the prayer of dedication, the anointing of the altar and walls followed, the incensation of the people, walls and altar. Lastly, the lighting of the altar candles and wall candles concluded this impressive and instructive part of the Dedication Mass.

Father Gray observed about the church, “We like to feel that there is something new, something old, a modern atmosphere, tempered with traditional touches.”

The large, round stained-glass window depicts the Biblical Sacred Heart designed by Father Methodius Telnack of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers. The 10 side windows will also be in stained glass, and designed by Father Methodius. The large crucifix above the altar is a gift from the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the Redemptorist parish in Boston, Mass. The Sacred Heart statue is a gift from the Redemptorist parish of St. Mary’s in Buffalo, N.Y. The picture of Perpetual Help is a gift from the Holy Family Retreat House in Hampton, Virginia. From the old Sacred Heart Church on Hill St. came the marble altar, tabernacle, Stations of the Cross, and statues of Mary and Joseph.

Adding to the joyful liturgical celebration were choral music and congregational singing, a Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree Honor Guard, almost 20 altar boys in their new cassocks and surplices, an offertory procession with representative parishioners; and the honoring of two members who have been active at Sacred Heart the longest, Mrs. Claire Smith, and Mrs. Rosemary Crawford. A reception followed in the parish hall.

At the reception, one table was set apart for pictures, newspaper articles, memorabilia of the past history of Sacred Heart parish. Among these was a “pro Ecclesia et Pontifica” medal bestowed by Pope Pius XII on Miss Mary McGrath in August, 1948 for her years of service to the Church.

The whole day only served to emphasize the fact that the parish had come a long way from when the first Mass was celebrated in Griffin in 1879 – attended by the total population of five!

The final words from the history of the parish in the dedication book say it all: “We gather now for the dedication of a new church building to the honor and glory of God. We gather to proclaim the faith and dedication of those who have gone before us. We gather to continue building the church – not in brick only, but in a community of faith and love of God and each other.”