By Rita McInerney

Father Jimmy Adams, pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Washington, GA., and two missions, Purification in Sharon, and St. Mary in Elberton, might be called a modern day circuit rider. He travels the miles in a Ford Thunderbird rather than a horse and buggy.

Each weekend, he says Mass at 9 o'clock at St. Joseph's. If it's summertime, he's already been to Sharon, 15 miles to the south, to celebrate 7:30 Mass for the tiny congregation there. After his parish Mass and chatting with parishioners, he's back on the road for the 30-mile drive to Elberton, the "Granite City." Here he celebrates the Eucharist for about 35 people at the circa-1940 stone church in a quiet residential section.

In all he has about 75 families in the three churches and likes ministering in this section of Georgia, not too far from Lake Hartwell and Lake Sinclair.

"All three places are glad they have a priest full time," he mentions.

Mrs. Judy Bailey is organist at the Elberton mission. She came to the area from California nearly 50 years ago and can remember when the Catholics would have one Mass a month with the priest coming from Athens.

"We feel lucky to have a priest every week," she said. "We could have to travel 30 miles or so."

She recalls when the Sisters of St. Joseph would come from Washington to give CCD instruction to the children. "After they left I was one of the parents who taught CCD." Nowadays, she estimates there are about four children of the mission ready for religious instruction. "Some of the parents will have to pitch in and teach them," she predicts.

The altar and lectern at St. Mary Church are examples of the city's chief product, Elberton blue granite. The lectern was created by Dario Rossi, a sculptor in granite and marble and a member of the church since 1965.

In Elberton, as in Sharon and Washington, parishioners take care of the grounds, clean the church and prepare the altar linens.

Mrs. Mildred Anderson's maternal great-grandfather, Thomas Fitzpatrick, and his brother John, came to Washington, GA, around the mid-19th century from County Armagh, Ireland. The brothers prospered in their adopted country, building the first telephone company and opening the first hotel.

When Mrs. Anderson was a child, Mass was celebrated in Washington in the chapel of St. Joseph's Home for boys operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph. The present brick building, dedicated in 1932, housed the sisters, the boys and contained classrooms and chapel.

The number of Catholics in Washington were few, she remembers, and other townspeople "thought we were very weird. Nowadays it's entirely different."

So different in fact that Father Adams last year was named chaplain for the Washington Wilkes High School football team, first Catholic priest to be singled out for this honor. He thoroughly enjoys the assignment, has his own place on the bench, attends after-school practice and all the games and rides the bus with the "Tigers."

He is also active in the Washington ministerial association.