By Paula Day

Patience pays off. St. Gabriel’s mission in Fayetteville is on its way to becoming a parish with the appointment of Father Joseph Beltran as administrator.

Kate Calcaterra, chairperson of the parish council, expressed the feelings of many of the parishioners. “We have a priest now – a priest, who when he puts his feet on the floor each morning will say, ‘What are we going to do for St. Gabriel’s today?’ He’ll make St. Gabriel’s his priority.” Father Beltran’s appointment takes effect July 2.

The 259-household mission was founded in August, 1987, as an off-shoot of St. Philip Benizi parish in Jonesboro and Holy Trinity parish in Peachtree City. It was placed as a mission of the Jonesboro parish.

It took only two or three Masses in the Fayetteville American Legion Hall to discover that site was too small to accommodate the number of worshippers in the new mission and weekend Masses were moved to Fayetteville Elementary School. Religious education classes were begun that fall using the facilities of the Fayette Presbyterian Church and parish offices were opened in a Fayetteville office complex. And then the waiting began by the community for a priest of their own.

At the time the archdiocese owned 7.6 acres of land off Georgia Highway 92 and Antioch Road. Later it acquired an additional 16.5 adjacent acres and that will be the site of the new parish complex. But the first order of business is finding a house for Father Beltran with space to spare for parish offices.

Fayetteville is the seat of the Fayette County, one of the fastest growing counties in Georgia. Holy Trinity parish, which was founded 19 years ago, is the county’s only other parish. With its 1,000 families it is bursting at the seems. St. Philip Benizi, in Clayton County, has almost 1,400 households. After being in mission status for four years, when the urgent request made for a resident priest by St. Gabriel’s parish council in March was answered so quickly, it took some parishioners off guard. Others, however, felt the archdiocese realized how fast the Church was growing in the south metro area.

As a mission of St. Philip Benizi parish, St. Gabriel’s over the past year has been staffed by Conventual Franciscan friars who are now responsible for pastoral care of the Jonesboro parish.

The friars have endeared themselves to the people. “We hate to part with the friars,” said Connie Davis, a Fayetteville Catholic of 16 years, “but we’re excited to have our own pastor.” Carl Calcaterra said he appreciated the experience and reputation Father Beltran has as a “builder” of new parishes and structures.

A priest for 37 years, Father Beltran has been pastor of several large archdiocesan parishes, and instrumental in their building programs. Among those he pastored were Corpus Christi in Stone Mountain and All Saints in Dunwoody. Until July, 1991, he was pastor of St. Oliver Plunkett in Snellville. In the last year, after asking to be relieved of the pastorate for health considerations, he has been parochial vicar at Holy Spirit Church in Atlanta.