By Erika Anderson

Staff Writer

DULUTH--In a celebration which recognized 10 years of tremendous growth and three years of planning and labor, Archbishop John F. Donoghue dedicated the new Church of St. Benedict on Feb. 1.

The parish of St. Benedict was established in 1987 under founding pastor, Father Joseph Peacock, and 10 families who attended Sunday Mass at Epiphany Byzantine Catholic Church in Roswell.

By 1990 the parish had grown to over 600 families, and its first building was constructed on Parsons Road with seating available for over 500 people, a nursery, a 2,000 square foot gathering area and 10 classrooms for the parish school of religion.

Because St. Benedict was overcrowded as early as 1996, a mission named in honor of St. Monica was formed that year to meet the growing needs and numbers of Catholics in Gwinnett County.

In March, 1995, St. Benedict began a major capital funds campaign under the leadership of pastor Msgr. Terry Young to finance construction for a church that would seat at least 1,200 individuals, as the parish had, by that time, grown to over 3,700 families.

In September, 1996, construction of a permanent church began. Its sanctuary is 15,000 square feet providing seating for 900 people on the main floor and 300 in the balcony.

Contractors Lusk and Associates also added a lower level with 12 classrooms which accommodates CCD activities and a pre-school program, as well as offices and a choir practice room.

At the dedication Mass the dedication choir greeted the congregation with "Let Us Build a House," as Archbishop Donoghue, Msgr. Young and six other priests from the archdiocese, including Father Dan Fleming, parochial vicar, Father Simon Assamoah, newly assigned to St. Benedict and Father Greg Goolsby, pastor of St. Monica, processed to the altar to celebrate the Mass of dedication of the new church.

Archbishop Donoghue sprinkled holy water both upon the walls of the church and the congregation, symbolizing new baptism and repentance.

In addition to the holy water, other elements used in the Mass were incense, the lighting of house lights and candles by Deacon Bill Monahan and holy oil, which Archbishop Donoghue used to anoint the altar and walls of the church before the Eucharist was celebrated.

In his homily Archbishop Donoghue spoke of the joy that comes from building a new church.

"And so, as we stand here in this new and vigorous temple of the Lord and of his people here in Duluth--a family of the Lord grown up to maturity in no time at all, we see something accomplished that happened almost before we noticed it, like a child's growing up," he said. "And our joy is itself childlike--open-mouthed and delighted."

The archbishop also noted that although the project is a dream come true, it is also a result of hard work.

"Dreams are born through work--through labor, sweat, concentration, decision-making, money-raising and by pushing one's energies to unnatural limits--limits which try to mirror the creative powers of the Father Creator himself," he said.

"For we have taken dreams, ideas, land and building materials, and with the Spirit of God to guide our work and with the resources of our pocket to back it up, we have made this new home for Catholic life and worship..."

Msgr. Young, who was greeted with a standing ovation from the grateful parishioners, said that this day was a "culmination of three years of very hard work...a celebration and thanksgiving."

"A church building is not only a work of art, but so is the parish," Msgr. Young said. "It is in paying the price and making the sacrifice of building that community when we will truly feel the presence of Christ."

Msgr. Young announced the burial of a time capsule, which the children of the parish had prepared in their religious education classes.

Mary Jo Baich, coordinator of the dedication octave--the eight days of dedication celebrations and functions, including dinners, dances and church tours, said that the children prepared the time capsule as a Christmas project.

They added mementos of Christmas,1997, including pictures, stories and artwork, as well as photographs of the church, priests and children, so that years from now, when the capsule is resurrected, they will be able to see what the church and its members were like at the time of its dedication.

"When you've been praying in a rental house, and you move into a real house of worship, it's like going to Rome without the gold," Baich said. "All points lead you to God and remind you of his wonders. It is an extraordinary expanse of peace and restfulness to the eye."

"It's not your average suburban plain brown box," Baich said. "It is a place to learn, pray and be educated."

The uniqueness of the large church comes mainly from its vast display of religious artwork and stained glass windows, chosen by Msgr. Young and designed by Winterich's Designers and Craftsmen in Cleveland, Ohio. These reflect the basic doctrines of the Church, the history of the archdiocese, the Church's unity with Rome and the spiritual patrons of the parish.

Art Gray, St. Benedict building coordinator, said that choosing the artwork was a difficult task.

"Msgr. Young has been so involved...He chose all the ecclesiastical artwork," he said. "He really didn't get enough credit for that, and it was hard work."

The focus of the church is the crucifix that hangs above the sanctuary. There are five stained glass windows behind the altar, with the Holy Trinity window in the center and the windows on either side of it representing the coats-of-arms of the bishops and archbishops who have served in Atlanta, as well as of the popes who have reigned since the establishment of the archdiocese in 1956. The coat of arms of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, to which most of the bishops, some of the senior clergy and Msgr. Young belong, is also displayed.

There are currently seven stained glass windows in place in the church; four more will arrive in March and another four are planned for placement in April.

The second window to the right of the altar, Baich said, is her favorite. That is the window that Msgr. Young refers to as the "MCI window," because it depicts the "friends and family" of Jesus.

Windows in the balcony depict teenage saints or angels, while the windows in the cry room depict children who have lost their lives for God.

A reredos or ornamental screen composed of three main panels separates the sanctuary from the sacristy. The center panels feature icons of Jesus, with Mary to his right and St. John the Baptist to his left. The left panel displays icons of St. Benedict, St. Scholastica and St. Pius X, secondary patron of the archdiocese.

The panel to the right depicts Blessed Katharine Drexel, SBS, founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and of Our Lady of Lourdes School, Atlanta; Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, "Lily of the Mohawks" and St. Kizito, a teenage martyr of Uganda.

Along the walls of the church are statues of various saints, including St. Martin de Porres, St. Elizabeth Seton, St. Joseph, St. Therese, St. Anthony and St. Monica.

There is also a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and shrines of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Peregrine--patron saint of cancer sufferers, and St. Jude.

Throughout the church are niches containing the 14 Stations of the Cross that were found in a nineteenth-century church in Utah.

Following the Mass of dedication a reception was held complete with ice sculptures and a string quartet.

Msgr. Young said that the opening of the church was a reason to celebrate, but also a reason to examine the needs of Catholics in the area.

"It is in many ways a culmination of dreams...we are also celebrating our tenth year as a parish. It is a wonderful example of what people can do when they set their minds to it," Msgr. Young said. "Actually, it dramatizes the need for more parishes in North Fulton County."

The building project, Gray said, has been in the planning stages for many years due to the tremendous growth that the area has experienced.

"I've been privileged to be allowed to participate in this building project since the beginning," Gray said. "To see it completed was one of the goals in my life...these people are just happy to have a place to worship that looks like a place of worship."