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BY PRISCILLA GREEAR
Staff Writer
MARIETTA--An earth-toned quilt made by parishioners hangs in the vestibule
of Holy Family Church depicting a cross, eucharistic wine, the Holy Family and
a local Episcopal church. The design reflects the historical and spiritual
composition of the 25-year-old parish.
The late Father John Mulroy, pastor for 11 years, founded the parish in
1973, originally celebrating Mass for 367 people outside nearby St.
Catherine’s Episcopal Church and later at Wheeler High School.
At that time the Atlanta Archdiocese purchased land from the Gant family to
build the church at 3401 Lower Roswell Road, which was completed in 1976. The
parish has since grown to include 3,000 families from many parts of the U.S.,
South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Approximately 500 past and present parishioners gathered July 15 to attend
the 25th anniversary Mass followed by a reception. The service was celebrated
by Msgr. Peter Dora, vicar general, and concelebrated by Father Ed Thein,
pastor, Father Juan de la Cruz and former Holy Family priests. The event was
one of a series of spiritual, social, service and educational activities held
as part of a year-long celebration beginning last September.
Opening the Mass, members of Knights of Columbus Council 9792, parishioners
carrying banners of green, purple and blue streamers, and girls with bowls of
incense processed towards the altar to the chimes of bells.
Celebration banners and maps made by youth at vacation Bible school were
displayed in the wood-accented sanctuary.
Mary Costa gave the first reading and Deacon Al Gallagher proclaimed the
Gospel. Over 60 past and present choir members united under the direction of
Barbara Hammond to lead the congregation in song.
Msgr. Dora opened the homily recognizing the work of Father Mulroy to
establish Holy Family and to initiate construction. He said the beautiful
parish building differs from secular ones because its construction was inspired
by God and “not a day has passed in the 25 years that this
congregation...has not gathered to celebrate the Eucharist, to worship
God.”
“We stand very humbly before what we see. We are looking at what God
has made, at what God has accomplished in us,” he said.
Noting how Christians can fail to recognize Christ in both difficult and
ordinary times, Msgr. Dora said, “We are here not to pat ourselves on the
back, not to give praise and adulation to the great people who have gone before
us...But we are here to give glory to God, to praise Jesus Christ.”
Father Thein wished a happy birthday to 99-year-old Carrie Elfner, first
parish secretary who worked at Holy Family for 11 years, and thanked
parishioners, the 25th jubilee committee, the Gant family and others who
assisted in planning the celebration.
Outside the church, Jim Hoene, parish grand knight, read the Liturgy of the
Word and Msgr. Dora sprinkled holy water and blessed a recently completed
memorial for the unborn. The memorial includes a plaque affirming life and
figures of Mary and Jesus surrounded by a garden and stone wall. The Holy
Family pro-life group holds weekly prayer meetings and vigils outside Atlanta
abortion clinics.
Following the celebration, people expressed deep appreciation for the
Marietta parish.
Deacon John Martin, brother of Father Mulroy, traveled from New Jersey to
attend the Mass.
“This church was the crowning achievement of his priesthood,”
Deacon Martin said. “But more importantly...the church is the community
because without the community there would be no church...The people who were
here just came together behind (Father Mulroy) and made things possible for
him. The people in this community built the church and he just pulled it
together. There’s so much love in this community and we just felt it in
our family.”
The deacon said he and his brother, Jim Mulroy, who also traveled to Georgia
for the Mass, received much support when Father Mulroy died and “feel a
deep attachment to Holy Family.”
“We feel certain that he (Father Mulroy) is here with us (tonight).
When he went into the priesthood it was very clear that this was his
family...his spiritual family,” Deacon Martin said.
Parishioner Diane Krawczyk, who has volunteered as a eucharistic minister
and in confirmation classes, said that she and her family attend the parish
because “I love the people who are here and Father Ed Thein. I love the
prayer group that meets in the morning after Mass and the community is very
loving...Our children grew up in this church. They knew all the priests that
were here and they received all the sacraments here. It’s a very important
church to us.”
Father Thein, who also served in the parish from 1982-85, expressed pride in
Holy Family’s growing Hispanic community of 1,000.
“I believe we have every continent in the Spanish speaking world in our
parish,” he said. “I think our community has matured and has grown
into a multi-ethnic community. We’re the only parish in Cobb County with a
regular Sunday Mass in Spanish...I’ve seen the growth in our Hispanic
community in that we now have a full-time Hispanic priest.”
As part of the year-long celebration the parish Hispanic ministry recently
held a retreat featuring an Ecuadorian priest to which Hispanics from 37
churches throughout the Atlanta area were invited.
“We had over 1,000 people. It was a great success...I think it brought
the Hispanic community together,” said Xiomara Frias of the Dominican
Republic.
Other special events included a hoe-down, an historical video and display of
the parish, 25th anniversary T-shirts and the creation of the commemorative
quilt.
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