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BY ERIKA ANDERSON
Staff Writer
WINDER--Betty Cohron vividly remembers dressing up her five children and
marching around the old Matthew’s school building in “weeds waist
high” as it was dedicated in 1965 as a church for the newly named St.
Matthew’s Mission of St. Joseph’s Church in Athens.
On June 24, 1999, over 30 years since its humble mission beginnings, St.
Matthew’s was named a parish and Father Victor Reyes its first pastor.
Cohron, who is the only original member of St. Matthew’s still
attending the church, said she is excited that the mission has finally become a
parish and that they have a pastor to call their own.
“For years, we kind of felt like the red-headed stepchild. We have seen
so many priests come and go and we’ve never had a sense of
permanence,” she said. “I’m just so thrilled that we have a
priest that’s going to be here all the time.”
Unlike some other missions in the immediate Atlanta area, the growth at St.
Matthew’s has been slow but steady. Founded by only nine families, the
mission now has about 270 families registered.
In 1964 the Archdiocese of Atlanta purchased the Matthew Public School and
property from J.W. Maynard, to begin a mission for St. Joseph’s. The
building was dedicated in the spring of 1965 by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph L.
Bernardin and was in deep need of repair. Cohron, in a personal narrative she
composed recently about the history of St. Matthew’s, said that the
families began the task of renovating the building by getting rid of its many
“critters,” such as squirrels and mice.
Originally without permanent restrooms, the property had an outhouse, with
one side for men and one side for women, located between two large oak trees.
Cohron also recalled huddling around a gas space heater for warmth as the
families attended Mass, as the mission did not have enough money to purchase a
heating and air conditioning system.
The mission was reassigned to St. Anna’s Church in Monroe in 1972 and
major remodeling and repairs were completed under then pastor Father Ed
Danneker’s direction in the mid-70s. The pews and stained glass windows
were purchased from St. Joseph’s Infirmary when it was relocated.
The late Father John P. Kelley served as pastor from 1983 to 1990 and
additional renovations were completed in 1988.
Father John Henley served the mission from 1990 to 1991. In 1991, the
mission was reassigned to St. Oliver Plunkett in Snellville and began to be
served by the Missionaries of Our Lady of LaSalette and pastor Father Tom
Carroll, MS. Major renovations to the sanctuary, social hall and classrooms
were completed in 1992 and the mission added a religious education building in
1997 to serve the growing spiritual needs of the community.
Father Reyes came to St. Matthew’s last July and the bilingual priest
said he is proud to serve the growing community, which includes 80 Hispanic
families.
“I think it’s a great honor that the diocese has given me to
become the first pastor,” he said.
Though the mission has been existence for many years, Father Reyes said that
the new title of parish has given the parishioners a sense of permanence.
“They have always felt like this place was theirs and that they
belonged here, but now we are not a mission of St. Oliver’s, we are our
own church,” he said. “More and more we are becoming an organized
entity and the parishioners feel a sense of ownership.”
For Cohron, it’s a little strange to see so many unfamiliar faces at
her church.
“I’m a lector and a eucharistic minister and now when I stand up
front and look at all these people, I can’t believe how many people I
don’t know,” she said. “In the old days, when a family
didn’t show up, we would call them because we missed them and were worried
about them.”
Joining a RENEW 2000 small group has given Cohron the opportunity to get to
know many of the newer parishioners.
“I told Father Reyes that I really liked RENEW, because these little
family groups are how this parish really started,” she said. “It
makes me very proud.”
Cohron is also proud to be an original member of the parish, but is looking
forward to seeing the younger parishioners lead it to the next level.
“This is God’s house and there is a sense of warmth and love and
caring. We worked so hard to keep it together,” she said. “Now
it’s up to the young people to make this place truly theirs. It’s
been mine for a long time. Now it is their turn.”
Cohron, who lead the music as an organist for 23 years at St.
Matthew’s, said that her hope for the church is that it becomes more a
part of the Barrow County community. She said that many people were unaware
that there was even a Catholic church in the area, but after organizing a food
pantry and participating in a cancer walk last spring, St. Matthew’s
parishioners are making themselves known.
“(Community participation) is so important so that we can let people
know who we are,” she said. “We’re going to continue to make a
name for ourselves and really become part of the community.”
Father Reyes said his hope is also that his parish becomes a strong presence
in Winder. He hopes to hold an ecumenical service with other area ministers for
Thanksgiving and said though the church is growing, he believes it will
maintain its warm atmosphere.
“This has been a very cohesive community and as it’s growing, it
welcomes people,” he said. “There’s a closeness that’s very
evident.”
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