By Kathi Stearns, Staff Writer

FAYETTEVILLE--The days of celebrating Mass in one another’s homes, in local churches of other denominations or in public schools are now over for the 350 families of The Church of St. Gabriel.

Archbishop John F. Donoghue celebrated a Mass dedicating the altar of the first Catholic parish in Fayetteville, Saturday, July 29. The parishioners, who filled the church beyond capacity, rejoiced that they now have a place they call home.

“It is so nice to have something that we can call our own,” said Richard Reiter, chairman of St. Gabriel’s land and building committee. “We have been like nomads trying to find some place to celebrate Mass.”

In the past St. Gabriel’s has celebrated Mass at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity and East Fayette Elementary School. Local Protestant ministers joined the eight deacons and nine priest at the Mass in which the multipurpose building, which will serve as a worship area until a permanent sanctuary can be constructed, was blessed.

“Throughout the years when we didn’t have a place to worship, many churches opened their doors to us so that we might celebrate our faith,” said Father Paul W. Berny, pastor. “It was very important that these people be a part of our celebration.”

After the archbishop greeted the congregation, he blessed water symbolic of baptism and processed through the church, sprinkling the congregation and the altar, praying that the “Word of God” always be heard in this new place of prayer.

Parishioners Robert Caldwell, John Russom and Jennifer Skaggs presented the archbishop with the lectionary. The Gospel was proclaimed by Deacon Al McHugh, pastoral assistant and former administrator of the parish.

During his homily Archbishop Donoghue said that the offering of holy gifts to God is an ancient act central and common to the Judeo-Christian tradition. “Since the beginning of man’s worship of his creator, the sacrifices offered to God are placed on the altar dedicated to that purpose,” he said. “It is fitting then that we gather here today to engage in the dedication of this altar which will serve your parish in the times to come as the holy table of sacrifice.”

The archbishop reminded the parishioners that nothing should be brought to the altar unless the congregation is at peace. “We pray that whatever blemish might exist on our relationships with one another, God will now wipe away our imperfections through the merit of Jesus’ sacrifice, the perfect gift which I am about to offer for the sake of us all.”

Archbishop Donoghue explained that a congregation’s pure hearts and unrestrained love are what God values as the best gifts. “It is the gift we offer now to God; the place we have prepared for Him, to be with us, so that we, in turn, might come and be with Him.”

Archbishop Donoghue then anointed the altar which stands as a symbol of Christ, the anointed one, with chrism. The altar, designed by Father Berny, consists of hard rock maple with ebony inlay.

During the dedication the children’s choir sang, “On Holy Ground,” while other children waved colored ribbons high in the air as they celebrated the ceremony of the altar’s anointing.

“I wanted to involve everyone in the celebration,” Father Berny said. “It was nice to see the children’s energy and youthfulness as the altar was anointed. They needed a way to celebrate.”

Incense, which signified that the death of Christ remains the perfect offering for our sins, was then wafted about the church and sanctuary. The table of the altar was wiped, then covered with cloth and decorated with flowers as it was prepared for the sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ. Finally, six candles were arranged around the altar. Archbishop Donoghue gave burning candles to both Deacon McHugh and Father Berny who lighted the candles surrounding the altar as a reminder that Christ is “a light to the nations.”

Music played an important role in the dedication Mass. The sound of a triumphant trumpet filled the church as a prelude to the liturgy. The creed, led by Father Berny, was proclaimed in Gregorian chant. “This was a very special opportunity of faith in the presence of the archbishop,” Father Berny said.

Sheri Dillon, minister of music, led the choir and congregation in songs which set the tone for a day of celebration and encouraged full participation. The song, “Like Olive Branchs,” written by Father Berny, was featured during the Communion procession.

“Music is the glue that binds this parish together,” Reiter said. “We are very lucky that Father Berny shares his musical gifts with us. He spends a lot of time selecting the right music and the best homily for a particular Mass.”

A week-long celebration of special events included a parish picnic, dedication banquet, ice cream social, sealing of a time capsule and three public concerts. The time capsule contained articles from The Georgia Bulletin documenting the history of the parish, the apron the archbishop wore when anointing the altar, a videotape of the dedication mass, the guest book and a T-shirt from a 10-K fun walk held to raise money for the new building.

Construction on the multipurpose building, designed by Dowling and Associates and constructed by Fayette County builder Tiernan and Patrylo, began in October 1994. The cost of construction came to just under $900,000. The 10,000-square-foot structure includes 10 classrooms for religious education and meetings, as well as a 3,600-square-foot worship area.

The building is the first part of a master plan for the parish which when fully realized will consist of four buildings.

“I think people would like to see us begin work on the sanctuary next,” Father Berny said. “We are going to have to examine the growth in this area and pay off the current building before we can make that decision.”