By Kathi Stearns

Archbishop John F. Donoghue called for a oneness among all Catholics at St. Oliver Plunkett's in Snellville where he broke ground Aug. 29 for a new sanctuary. The building is necessitated by a doubling in membership over the last two years.

"We must be one, we must be united, we must stand together, young and old, male and female, priest and people... ," Archbishop Donoghue proclaimed in his first parish homily since being installed as archbishop Aug. 19.

He told the parishioners to show their oneness in love, "By following His commandments: Deny yourself, take up your own cross and begin to follow in the ways of Christ. Then the Son of Man will come in God's glory, borne on the wings of angels. And every man, woman, child, by the measure of their holiness will be one in the peace of God."

His Aug. 29 remarks preceded the groundbreaking for the $1.6 million, 20,000-square-foot sanctuary and renovations which St. Oliver Plunkett will endure throughout the next 11 or 12 months.

The new sanctuary will be constructed with pews and kneelers and seat approximately 675 people. The current sanctuary seats 450.

Parishioners felt that the new sanctuary was a necessity. "For a while the original church was large enough to fit our needs," parishioner Kimberly Patterson said. "Yet when construction began at St. John Neumann parish, numerous families left. Now these same people are coming back and we need the space so our original family members can return home."

"We were faced with the information that 10 percent of the population of Gwinnett County is Catholic, whereas only 5 percent of the metro Atlanta population is Catholic and we had to respond to the needs of our growing population," Gary Pellegrom, chairman of the finance committee said. According to parish records, St. Oliver Plunkett had 550 families registered in July, 1991. Today they have over 1,050 families.

The current sanctuary will be converted into a parish hall and the downstairs will be renovated into seven permanent classrooms. The kitchen will be relocated to the upstairs of the new parish hall. Five classrooms will be added in the new building to bring the total number of permanent classrooms to 14.

A Blessed Sacrament chapel will be created and used for daily Mass. A new entrance and gathering space will add a welcoming area for Mass, weddings and other church events. A new youth center will occupy the lower level of the facility. Parking spaces will increase from 125 to 250 with a new driveway.

The building began in the fall of 1992 with 52 percent of the parishioners taking an active role in the fund-raising. Parishioners raised in excess of $550,000. The parish has an additional $500,000 in a reserve account. St. Oliver Plunkett has been given permission from the archdiocese to borrow $1 million. It is unlikely they will borrow the full amount, according to Mr. Pellegrom.

Construction is expected to begin as soon as possible, according to the pastor, Father Tom Carroll, MS. "All the contracts are signed and we're ready to go," Mr. Pellegrom said. The original architects, Cunningham, Forehand, Matthews and Moore, and contractors, Bon Building Services, hope to begin work in early September.

The parishioners seemed joyful to share this special occasion with the archbishop. "He seems very eager to become the shepherd of the archdiocese," choir director Mary Jane Insull said. "We are so glad he took the time to share this celebration with us."

Even children could be seen running up to the archbishop just to get a glimpse. Parishioner Rita Steen attended the 9:30 Mass at St. Oliver's but waited with her children Shawn, 14, Kerri, 10, and Tommy, eight, until the 11:30 Mass so they could see the new archbishop. "They wanted to see how an archbishop was different from a normal priest. In their mind he (the archbishop) is closer to God," Mrs. Steen said.

St. Oliver Plunkett is a 14-year-old parish. Father Terence Kane was appointed first pastor of St. Oliver Plunkett Church. Father Kane told his parishioners of Oliver Plunkett, his home town saint in Ireland, who had just been canonized in October, 1975. The parishioners voted overwhelmingly to name the church St. Oliver Plunkett, the first parish in America so named.

Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan purchased 10.28 acres of land in 1977, which was to become the future site of St. Oliver Plunkett. However, until a building could be constructed, Mass was celebrated in the cafeteria at South Gwinnett High School.

"I remember stacking bricks under a cafeteria table to create an altar," Ralph Bulger, an original parishioner of St. Oliver's said.

In 1979, plans were conceived for the current sanctuary. On Sept. 21, 1980, ground was broken for a 14,000-square-foot church. On July 1, 1990, the feast of Oliver Plunkett, the parish family celebrated the burning of the mortgage. In June, 1985, Father Joseph Beltran assumed the role of pastor and remained a pastor until 1991.

As Ryan Lynch ran to find his parents, after having his picture taken with Archbishop Donoghue, he could be hear saying, "Wow, what an incredible day." For the community at St. Oliver's it was just that.