BY KATHI STEARNS Staff Writer

STONE MOUNTAIN--Christ said to St. Peter, "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church." Less than one mile from the rock nationally known as Stone Mountain, 25 years ago and 20 centuries later, the people of Corpus Christi parish family built their church.

At a Sept. 28 Mass marking the 25th anniversary, founding members, former pastors, priests and families past and present returned to celebrate the parish that many call their second home. The Mass was concelebrated by current pastor Father Greg Kenny, CMF, former pastor Msgr. Tom Kenny, Father Severino Lopez, CMF, Father Ron Stua, CMF, Father Peter D'Souza, CMF, Father Charles Kerscher, Father Michael McWhorter and Father Paul Flood. Father John Walsh joined the celebration later in the evening. Deacons Ben Gross and Will MacDonald assisted. The Hand Bell, Hispanic, Life Teen and Corpus Christi choirs and their accompanying musicians shared the joyous musical portion of the anniversary Mass.

Each of the parish's 44 organizations contributed to the planning and celebration of the Mass and festivities afterward. Led by the Knights of Columbus and altar servers carrying colorful banners, one representing Corpus Christi and the other Life Teen, the celebrants processed to the altar which was surrounded with containers of white Fuji mums and red carnations. Red was the favorite color of Father Joseph Beltran, the first pastor, who died in May 1995. Before he began his homily the current pastor recognized Msgr. Tom Kenny, pastor from 1977 to 1990, and the congregation responded with warm applause.

"This is our church. This is our house. This is our family," Father Greg Kenny said as he addressed the overflow congregation. "Twenty-five years means very little in terms of an institution that is 2,000 years old, but for the generations of Christians who have legged stages of their spiritual journey in this holy place we call the faith community of Corpus Christi, time cannot be reduced to hours or days or years, but can only be spoken of as the very fabric of our life and existence." Father Kenny said that since its inception Corpus Christi has always been a people parish. He described it as a place where people reached out and touched one another, empowering and quickening others through the Spirit with the many instances of personal love and concern so abundantly evident at Corpus Christi. Christ, he added, was truly honored and served by his brothers and sisters in the faith community. Father Kenny recalled how young parents faced with a child's deadly illness and no resources found compassion and hope at the Stone Mountain parish. He remembered another family who had lost their only child and found themselves on the verge of economic disaster who were helped and comforted by the blessing of an adopted child. And finally he spoke of parents whose tragic loss of a young son led them to a ministry of love and compassion towards hundreds of others who had experienced shattering loss. "This parish celebrates people who sat at the well of Samaria and accepted with fully believing hearts that we are called to worship in spirit and in truth; which is to say, our worship is prompted by the Holy Spirit, and it is based on the revelation of God in Jesus, who is the truth."

Father Kenny said today was the day the congregation celebrated the people who have worn the tunic of Christ and just by touching their garments "we have felt the quickening power of Christ in our own lives. There have been so many people...bonding together on men's, women's and teen weekends, making religion run through their lives like blood through their veins; a parish as a whole that solidly cemented its faith in the face of scandal and dismal failure," Father Kenny said. "These people may not have known each other long; they may never have met again in this world, but their lives have been changed and Jesus has been honored and served in his brothers and sisters in the faith community of Corpus Christi." "The spirit of 25 years of Corpus Christi will continue in new generations, in people of many ethnic roots and cultures," Father Kenny said. "Their vision promises to be true and clear because together this joyous night we are proclaiming, 'This is our Church. This is our house. This is our family.'" During Communion the congregation processed to the altar to receive the body of Christ from two beloved pastors, Msgr. Kenny and Father Kenny. As Msgr. Kenny distributed the sacrament he often addressed his former parishioners by name and made sure that no child unable to receive the sacrament left the altar without a proper blessing.

The congregation remained after Mass as a platform was set up for a concert featuring Tony Melendez, a young man born without arms who has become a celebrated guitarist. The Life Teen group met Melendez in Florida while working on a project with the poor and invited him to Corpus Christi. Teens and young children sat on the floor in front of the pews to watch as the musician who plays the guitar with his feet shared his gift of music. Melendez, who shared his personal struggles with the congregation, has written a book titled A Gift of Hope. At age 34 he is married and has adopted a baby daughter; with his brother Jose he has formed his own company, Toe-Jam Music. He has performed before Pope John Paul II on six occasions, the first in Los Angeles in 1987 when his special gift was recognized with a kiss from the pope. Since that time he has performed in 49 states and 13 countries. Melendez's selections called for audience participation and included: "This Little Light of Mine," "Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand," "Today Is Like No Other," "Hail Mary," "Joy to the World," "It Only Takes a Spark," "I Will Never Forget You My People," and "I Would Love To Hold You in my Arms." A catered reception in the gymnasium followed Melendez's performance. Slides of the past flashed continuously on the gymnasium wall showcasing the pictorial history of Corpus Christi.

Since its founding in 1971 Corpus Christi has had four pastors. The founding pastor Father Beltran, was succeeded in 1977 by Msgr. Tom Kenny who was pastor for 13 years. Father Leo Herbert was named pastor in June 1990 when Msgr. Kenny was named rector of the Cathedral of Christ the King. In 1992 the Claretian order was appointed to administer Corpus Christi and Father Greg Kenny was named pastor. The concept for the creation of the fledgling parish occurred in October 1970 when a large group of Catholics gathered at Stone Mountain Park for the celebration of Mass and a picnic. The parish was formed in May 1971 when Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan created it from territory of St. Thomas More, Decatur, and Holy Cross, Atlanta. The first Mass was celebrated July 11, 1971 in the cafeteria of Stone Mountain Elementary School. The parish began with 200 families, 54 of whom remain active today. "I went to the very first parish meeting where we selected the name of the parish," said Madeline St. Romain. "Some of the suggestions were Our Lady of the Mountain, Our Lady of the Assumption and Corpus Christi. We made the decision in a very democratic way. Father Beltran told us to vote and Corpus Christi got the most votes." Father Beltran, whose trademark was a pair of red socks, demanded much of himself and his parishioners as they built. "Once Mass was over in the elementary school, we'd stop for lunch and then go over to the future site of the church and spend our day leveling the field, the parking lot, the driveway or landscaping the church grounds," said George Scheuer, current president of the parish council. For three years Corpus Christi was a parish without a church. Parish meetings were held at local banks, the Lake Royal Apartments, restaurants and churches of other denominations. On holy days the parish would celebrate Mass at a Presbyterian Church on Memorial Drive.

On March 30, 1974 Archbishop Donnellan celebrated a Mass of dedication as the parish family finally moved into its new home. The new church showcased the pastor's color preference in red carpet, pew upholstery and a red skyline. Two years later the gymnasium and the rectory were completed. In 1977 Father Beltran, who was known for his ability to build a parish from the ground up, was sent to All Saints where he built another house for the people of God. It was during Msgr. Tom Kenny's tenure as pastor that the spirit of the church began to develop. "In my estimation he put Corpus Christi on the map in the Archdiocese of Atlanta," said Rick Nerone. "In his own quiet way he was so instrumental in bringing life and excitement into the parish. He brought love, understanding, compassion and all the qualities that Jesus Christ brought to the world. When I would see him on the altar at Mass or walking on the grounds at various church functions, I always saw the face of Christ." Msgr. Kenny implemented Parish Alive, a yearly vehicle for recruitment of time and talent. Held every October it was a means to put the parish on display so members could see and hear about the various organizations that Corpus Christi had to offer.

During Msgr. Kenny's pastorate the registration peaked in 1984 at 3,300 families. The parishes of St. Oliver Plunkett, Snellville, Christ Our Hope, Lithonia, and St. John Neumann, Lilburn, were formed to help alleviate the overflow crowds. Corpus Christi parishioners were seen wearing white T-shirts and sweatshirts with the slogan "I Love C.C." during the outdoor Mass on the church lawn and the annual parish picnics. Pencils, bumper stickers, decals and hats followed. Msgr. Kenny recalls his first reaction when he learned that he would be pastor of a parish that had, at the time, 1,800 families. "What am I going to do with 1,800 families?" he remembers thinking. "I finally figured out, that's 1,800 families to do the work," he said at the anniversary reception. "They are the ones who deserve all the credit. I have very fond memories of my time at Corpus Christi. They have done a wonderful job since I left. When I was here it was a large suburban parish and now it has become a multicultural parish, and it has been enriched in the process. They have a great future ahead of them." Msgr. Kenny is noted for remembering parishioners and their families by name, despite the size of the parish. "He was a very busy man, but he always took the time to ask how you were doing--a real people person," Nerone said. "What really impressed me about him was that my mom was visiting us for a few weeks and I introduced her to Msgr. Kenny. About eight to 10 months later, my mom had her first bout with cancer. It was Easter Sunday with a million people at 10 a.m. Mass. When I said 'Happy Easter' to Father, he asked how my mom was doing and said to send her his regards." The parish also became a forerunner in ministering to those with hearing impairments. The parish deaf ministry included four volunteers who interpreted the Mass and six who taught religious education to deaf students. Twelve women made up Signs of Praise, a parish signing choir. Structurally the parish grew with the addition of a rose garden, an outdoor chapel in 1980 and a new rectory in 1985.

Thirty-four parochial vicars or pastoral associates have served at Corpus Christi since the parish's inception. Both priests and families feel they have benefited mutually from these relationships. "We always had the cream of the crop as priests," said Dr. Henry Wilson, a founding parishioner. "We made lasting relationships with so many of them." Father Richard Lopez, religion teacher at St. Pius X High School, is one of many priests fondly remembered. "My son was an altar boy at the parish when Father Lopez was there," Wilson said. "Father Lopez was a part of my son's life at St. Pius and has baptized both of his sons." Yet it is the priests who credit the parishioners with nurturing their vocation. "My two years at Corpus Christi were a time when the people there inspired me to be holy," said Father Lopez. "Their goodness, kindness and patience with a very foolish young priest made me want to become holy for their sake...I still have that hunger because of their goodness, even if I have not yet reached the place that I think of myself equal in holiness to their goodness."

In the history of the parish there have also been painful situations that the parishioners have faced and overcome. In May 1990 Corpus Christi pastoral associate Father Anton Mowat was sentenced to serve six years in jail and nine years on probation for pedophilia after entering a plea of guilty to four counts of child molestation. Despite the scandal and sudden onslaught of media attention, the members of the parish community pulled together. "Corpus Christi is family to us," said Barbara Kennedy, a parishioner for the last 20 years. "In a family there is good and there is bad, but it is all part of being a family. The bad, no matter how terrible or tragic it has been, has brought us closer together, and it has made the good even better."

In March 1992 the parish became divided in their opinions about priests from the Claretian religious order assuming pastoral care of the parish. Citing the rapid growth in the Catholic population Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM asked the Claretians of the Eastern Province headquartered in Chicago to take over the day-to-day operations of the parish. "When we first heard they were coming we said, 'The Claretians, who are they?" said Scheuer. "We found out when they sent the dynamic trio that they did. The parish took to them very quickly and embraced them. They helped us get through our trying times and helped us get back on track." During their first year at Corpus Christi the Claretians initiated an International Day festival that mirrored the universality of the church and celebrated the diverse population of the parish. "Due to the changes that have occurred in DeKalb County, Corpus Christi has become an international parish because of the ethnic groups that are now a vibrant part of parish life," Scheuer said. "Being an international community has made us a stronger parish. There is such a strong level of acceptance... Any person that comes to Mass is another member of our Catholic family. It is that simple." This year the Claretians oversaw a $750,000 renovation of the interior of the church. The renovation included repaving the parking lots, construction of a Perpetual Adoration Chapel, replacement of the main roof over the church and offices, purchase of a new air conditioning system, organ, altar, ambo and pews. A mosaic of the risen Christ and a statue of the Holy Family will be added. The church, whose red carpet, skylight border and pew upholstery were vivid reminders of Father Beltran's colorful presence, now has accents of green, cream, mauve and gold with a simple oak altar and pews. "The renovation looks very nice," said St. Romain. "I just wish we had left something red in there. You have to remember your roots." And on its 25th anniversary Corpus Christi did just that. The flower arrangements included red carnations; the red cover of the Sacramentary was held aloft as the procession entered and exited. And to the right of the sanctuary a red cross adorned the front of the new repository in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel as a red pillar candle burned brightly beside it honoring the convergence of old and new traditions in a parish that is vitally alive.