BY PRISCILLA GREEAR

Staff Writer

SNELLVILLE--Inspired by the Missionaries of Our Lady of LaSalette, parishioners at St. Oliver Plunkett Church strive to extend a spirit of hospitality to newcomers and a spirit of love and support to each other.

Founded in 1978 with 350 people worshipping at South Gwinnett High School, the first parish building was constructed in 1981. On its 20th anniversary, the parish on Brooks Drive includes 1,520 families.

Celebrating that history, St. Oliver Plunkett held a 20th anniversary Mass Sept. 6 which attracted approximately 1,000 past and present parishioners. Archbishop John F. Donoghue was the principal celebrant.

A procession of Knights of Columbus from the Gwinnett County Council and of parishioners carrying banners representing the various ministries opened the celebration. Music director Mary Jane Insull led the choir and Peg Bacik was the cantor. The Gospel was proclaimed by Deacon Mike Capozza.

In his homily, the archbishop addressed the blunt words spoken by Jesus that unless Christians learn to hate those closest to them they cannot be his disciples. Archbishop Donoghue said that the Lord wanted to prepare his followers, who were expecting him to become an earthly king, to endure in faith and to follow him after his crucifixion.

“He laid bare the truth before them. Life is not power, life is not becoming king of our own village or even king of the world. Life is not even being the perfect son or daughter, the perfect mother or father. Life is the awareness that in the end, nothing can be depended on but the mercy of God and nothing can be gained without pain, without giving and without courage to endure to the end,” he said.

“The endurance of the people of God, the survival of their belief, is what the history of the church is made of,” Archbishop Donoghue said. “And today we celebrate the 20 years of this survival that is the special accomplishment of the good people of this parish--20 years of striving to understand God’s will for us, 20 years of faithfully assembling for worship and thanksgiving...20 years that we now bring before God’s altar as an offering.”

Sporting T-shirts reading “Growth in Faith and Fellowship,” parishioners young and old continued the celebration following Mass at a barbecue picnic in the parish hall. Activities included a cake walk, face painting, a clown and jumping balloon for children.

At the picnic Father Tom Carroll, MS, the first LaSalette pastor of the parish, described the spirit of hospitality of the LaSalette order that unites the parish community.

“Our big thing is hospitality. We like for people to feel at home. This is a place for families to gather children,” said Father Carroll, who has been pastor for seven years.

“Next Sunday we have a brunch for newcomers just to welcome them and introduce the different programs that we have. We try to get them involved in one or another program just to make them feel at home. When we have a funeral, we always bring all the family back here afterwards for a breakfast or a lunch. We try to make them think of the parish as their extended family.”

Also serving as parochial vicars at the parish are Father Michael Flanagan, MS, and Father Cliff Hasler, MS.

Katherine Francesco, a parishioner for 10 years serving as a greeter at the event, said the parish is her spiritual family.

“I had surgery last year and you couldn’t ask for better people or priests...They were there,” she said.

Francesco participates in the women’s guild, the Rite of Christian Initiation program and RENEW 2000 and is a sponsor for a new mother of triplets.

“More people have become active than when I first moved here,” she said. “I think it has brought a lot more energy for young people. There’s a lot bigger youth group than when I first came...I think that we’ve needed to reach out more (and) make sure that we include everybody.”

Alice McGovern, 72, described with enthusiasm the activities of the “Jolly Ollies” seniors group such as theater outings and volunteer work with Meals On Wheels in Snellville.

“We have members from St. Lawrence that come here. We welcome everybody. They don’t have to just come to St. Oliver,” she said. “We’re an old group with young ideas.”

Founding pastor Father Terry Kane, who returned for the celebration, recalled with pride how the congregation became the first in the U.S. to name a parish after St. Oliver Plunkett. A national shrine to the successor to St. Patrick is in Father Kane’s hometown in Ireland.

In the founding congregation, “We had a warm spirit of community,” Father Kane said. Members of the parish built all the altar furnishings and cabinets in the sacristy, he said.

“It’s kind of exciting to be back,” he said. “The wonderful community of faithfulness has kept its spirit going.”

Parishioners also performed “Broadway Comes to St. Oliver’s,” a 20th anniversary musical variety show, on the following weekend as part of the 20th anniversary celebration.