BY KATHI STEARNS

Staff Writer

WINDER--Archbishop John F. Donoghue blessed the new religious education building at St. Matthew's, a mission of St. Oliver Plunkett Church, Oct. 17.

The religious education building houses eight classrooms, an administrative office and storage area. The mission is located at the corner of Wilkins Road and Highway 8 and serves 216 families. Ground was broken July 6, 1997 and construction immediately followed. Mark Hunter of the Likatin Corporation oversaw the design and construction of the building. Parishioners used the facility for the first time Sept. 28. The cost of the building is $206,000.

According to Father Cliff Hasler, MS, parochial vicar at St. Oliver Plunkett Church, Snellville, the mission hopes to use some of the funds from the archdiocesan capital campaign to pay off the existing debt on the religious education building and enlarge the church. The Winder mission, whose capital campaign hoped initially hoped to raise $84,000, has to date raised $188,800 which is 224 percent of its goal.

The blessing was attended by Archbishop John F. Donoghue, Father Tom Carroll, MS, pastor of St. Oliver Plunkett Church and priest-in-charge at St. Matthew's Mission, Father Michael J. Flanagan, MS, parochial vicar at St. Oliver Plunkett, and Father Hasler.

The celebration began outside with Scripture readings followed by the blessing of the religious education facility by Archbishop Donoghue. Participants then attended exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction at St. Matthew's Church.

During the service the archbishop said the blessing was an historic event for Catholics in Winder who formed the mission with nine families in 1964 and remained a small 22-family community as recently as 1979. They have since grown ten-fold.

"The day will come when you will remember this building, and this night on which we bless it and consecrate it to the uses of our holy Church, as being a prophetic moment in the life of St. Matthew's," the archbishop said. "You have now grown to the size where it will not be long before you stand as a parish on your own."

The archbishop said the growth of Catholics, and of the general population in the Winder area, continues to flourish, sometimes causing anxiety among those who fear urban expansion. However, he was reassuring.

"Nothing can stop the growth of our communities---for we all want and need families, and families mean children, and children mean more bodies to nurture, more minds to educate, and more souls to bring along in the tried and true ways of our holy Catholic faith," he said. "'Be fruitful--multiply and prosper,' God has said, and though these words were spoken at the dawn of creation, they still apply very much to the condition of our local churches and parish communities."

The archbishop asked those in attendance to have the courage and integrity to meet the challenges of the future.

"I want you to know that as you grow and adapt yourself to this future, and all that it holds out, the entire Catholic Church in North Georgia stands ready to assist, to encourage and to rejoice with you, as you meet the challenges, and attain the many goals that are just now being envisioned."

"May God bless this fine building, and all who come to it---and in it, for as long as it stands, let us always see a sign of the Holy Spirit in our lives, working all things to our benefit, and for the lasting glory of the Father on high."

The mission property, along with a building, was purchased Nov. 23, 1964 by the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The church is the former Matthew Public School and has been renovated several times, most recently in 1992. St. Matthew's has been a mission of St. Joseph's, Athens, and St. Anna's, Monroe, before becoming a mission of St. Oliver's in July 1991.

"The people here are quite proud of their new building," said Father Carroll. "This is the first new building that has been built in the mission's 30-year history."

Father Carroll said there was an unquestionable need for the religious education building.

"The kids were meeting for religious education in the church sacristy, nursery, parish hall and kitchen," he said. "None of these places were ideal settings for learning. Finally they have a place where they can learn about God and His Word."