By Paula Day

The lashing rains ended and the sun came out May 27 just in time for the groundbreaking for the new Church of Good Shepherd in Cumming, Ga.

Monsignor John McDonough officiated pastor Father John Ozarowski and Father James Cummings, SM, chaplain at St. Joseph Hospital, Atlanta.

The 14,000-square-foot L-shaped building will include a sanctuary seating 412, a flexibility for seating as well as options for expansion. A kitchen, six classrooms for religious education, an office and nursery will complete the facility. Flexibility and expandability was a key issue in the design, according to Robin Millard, architect.

“It is tastefully designed within calls for a visitation chapel to be open 24 hours a day. Clear windows behind the altar and along the sides of the sanctuary will permit a well-lighted interior.

Set in 17 acres of secluded woods described, as “conducive to prayer” by Millard, the parish plant will also include a rectory. Both structures will have a stucco exterior. Completion is scheduled for late 1990 or early 1991.

The present site outside Cumming in Forsyth County is off Georgia Highway 369 on Holtzclaw Road. Since the parish was established in 1975 the congregation has worshipped in a chapel attached to a residence at Georgia Highway 20 and Old Atlanta Road. This six-acre plot was recently sold to a shopping center developer. The Holtzclaw Road location gives room for expansion and is better suited to demographical needs, according to the Roswell architect. Contributing to the choice of site was a feasibility study in which actual residences were pinpointed on a county map. These indicated the greatest concentration of parishioners.

The congregation was also surveyed about what they wanted in the new church. After 15 years of “extremely tight quarters,” a strong response favored a gathering area. Parishioners also asked that the environment be kept intact as much as possible. They requested that the sanctuary maintain a feeling of warmth and closeness, a sense of family. Until the new church is ready, weekend Masses will be celebrated in the Tri County Plaza, numbers 20 and 22, Phase III.

The one-story rectory will have two bedrooms, two baths, a dining area, office, parlor and private den. A full basement will provide storage space. Projected cost for the sanctuary and rectory is $1.1 million. TDM, Inc. are the general contractors for the construction.

According to Father Ozarowski, the 260-household parish has completed a successful fund-raising campaign totaling $310,000. This, plus money from the sale of the former property and a small loan from the archdiocese will take care of projected costs.