BY ERIKA ANDERSON

Staff Writer

PEACHTREE CITY--Wearing silver lapel ribbons, members of the original families at Holy Trinity Church processed into the sanctuary Nov. 1 to celebrate the anniversary of the parish they founded 25 years ago.

Archbishop John F. Donoghue was the principal celebrant of the Mass. Father John Walsh, pastor, and Father Kevin Peek and Father Guyma Noel, parochial vicars, concelebrated the Mass, along with Father James Sexstone, a former pastor of Holy Trinity now serving at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Atlanta, Father Martin-Ralph Kalu, a former parochial vicar now assigned to the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, and Father Francis McNamee, also a former parochial vicar and now administrator of St. Peter Chanel Mission of the Church of St. Ann, Marietta. They were assisted by Deacons Don Kelsey, Tony Cuomo, Jim Stagg and Whitney Robichaux.

In his homily, the archbishop spoke of the sacraments as essential elements of life in the church.

“These facts of life in the church are especially called to mind when we celebrate an anniversary such as we do today,” he said. “For we cannot think of our life here without our church. Everyone here has some significant event in their lives to remember--events that actually happened in this place.”

Archbishop Donoghue also said that by remembering those events, we “begin to sense a very special added dimension of our faith.”

“We begin to feel the timeless family of God,” he said. “We begin to understand that the church is more than the pilgrim church on earth, but indeed it is an assembly of faithful men and women that transcends time as we know it.”

Because Holy Trinity is a parish of many nationalities, songs were sung in English and Spanish, led by the combined music ministries of the adult choir, Jubilation, Life Teen band and the Spanish choir.

The church was filled with standing room only, a sign of the tremendous growth it has experienced since 1973, when 55 families came together to celebrate Mass for the first time.

Holy Trinity began as a weekend mission April 1, 1973, with Mass celebrated each Sunday at Peachtree City Elementary School. That June Father Edward Danneker, current pastor of St. Luke’s Church in Dahlonega, became the first pastor. For the first four years, Mass, religious education classes and meetings were held at various locations in Peachtree City, finally ending up at a rented warehouse on Dividend Drive.

In 1976 the current property on Walt Banks Road was acquired for $27,000. The present rectory was used as a parish center, with the upper level providing both offices and living space for the pastor. The full basement was used as a worship center for weekend and daily Masses and meeting space. Construction began in August 1977, when Father Sexstone was pastor, and was completed by Christmas.

In January 1980, the parish of 460 families broke ground for a church, which was dedicated Dec. 7, 1980. The parish quadrupled in size over the next 17 years, making it necessary to enlarge the church, which was originally built to hold 400 people. Now serving a parish of 2,000 families, the church was enlarged to hold 650 to 700 people and was rededicated Dec. 7, 1997, the same day Father Walsh was installed as pastor.

Following the silver anniversary Mass, a reception was held in Loreto Hall, as parishioners old and new gathered to share memories of their lives at Holy Trinity. The parish boasts over 60 different ministries, a number which has doubled since 1990.

Father Sexstone, who was pastor from 1977-87 making him the longest-serving pastor of Holy Trinity, said he is pleased with the growth in service.

“The increase in the number of programs and ministries and people’s involvement in them is a very beautiful thing,” he said. “There has always been a high level of involvement at this parish and, rather than the same people always involved, there is a wide variety of people who involve themselves.”

John Graham, former pastoral council president, called Holy Trinity an “alive parish.”

“We’ve really come together as a family,” he said. “Everyone is always anxious to help out. People just get involved here.”

Dolores and Joseph Griffin were among the 55 original families at Holy Trinity. Mrs. Griffin said she is pleased to see that the parish is still going strong. “It’s nice to see something that we started is still here after 25 years,” she said. “There have been a lot of different people from a lot of different places all working hard to make it a good church.”

Griffin said she remembers holding craft fairs each November in hopes of raising money to build the church. She was appreciative that the founding families were honored at the anniversary celebration.

“It was very nice of them to think of us because we did work very hard to get this far,” she said. “I remember a lot of cold Novembers. It was fun, though. We were together.”

Art Bernard, also an original parishioner, said he was overwhelmed by the growth in the parish. “It’s just incredible,” he said. “When we started this, we were hoping someday we’d maybe get 100 families and be able to build a small chapel and support a pastor. We never would have guessed in a hundred years that it would turn out this way.”

The parish in Peachtree City, a planned community that boomed when Delta Airlines made Atlanta its base in the early 1970s, serves many parishioners affiliated with the airlines.

“The growth has just been so astronomical,” Bernard said. “When we started, Peachtree City had about 2,000 residents and about 12 roads in the town. We were basically living in the wilderness.”

Bernard believes the parish is celebrating its 25th anniversary because of the unity of the parishioners. “People just got together and hung in there during the difficult times,” he said. “Everyone pitched in to make it work and there were a lot of sacrifices made by the older folks.”

Joan Velsmid, a parishioner for seven years, said she thinks Holy Trinity parishioners are united by a common bond.

“This is the first parish that we have belonged to that there is a real sense of community,” she said. “I think it’s because everyone moved here from other places. I really believe that Holy Trinity keeps us together.”

Carol Benjaminson, who has been a parishioner for 23 years, said the best thing about Holy Trinity is the fact that its parishioners are from many different places.

“I like the diversity. There is a nice mix of everybody,” she said. “That’s the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is universal and that’s just what we have at this parish.”

In conjunction with the 25th anniversary celebration, the narthex was dedicated to the late Father William Calhoun, who served as pastor in 1994-95 and died Jan. 4, 1997, three years after being critically injured in an automobile accident. A Mass was celebrated Oct. 24 by Father Hugh Marren, pastor of St. Anthony’s Church, Atlanta, and concelebrated by Father Walsh. It was attended by Father Calhoun’s mother and niece. A cast bronze plaque bearing the likeness of Father Calhoun was hung in the narthex.

Dr. Quentin Van Meter, head of the memorial gift campaign, said Father Calhoun was beloved by the parishioners. “In his short time he really gained the immense respect of the families who got to know him,” Van Meter said.