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BY BETTY SCHOENBAECHLER
Special To The Bulletin
MARIETTA--Located in the Bishop Lake Road area of northeast Cobb County, the
Church of St. Ann has, over the past 21 years, become the faith home of more
Catholic families than any parish, except the cathedral, in the Archdiocese of
Atlanta.
With 4,500 families registered--an estimated 13,000 parishioners--St.
Ann’s should seem a bit impersonal and intimidating simply because of its
size. But the opposite is true. St. Ann’s is more like one large extended
family that has reunions every weekend and a variety of family events scattered
throughout the week.
“You can really find your niche here,” is a phrase commonly heard
from parishioners and church staff alike. The church sponsors 87 active
ministries, six different choirs, has more than 2,000 children registered in
the parish school of religion and a parking lot that is very often full. During
the busiest Mass times, St. Ann’s has a shuttle service to transport
parishioners from a nearby elementary school to the church. Pastor Father Bob
Susann, MS, calls the shuttle “Mass Transit.”
Despite and perhaps even because of the large number of people, St.
Ann’s is a well-loved place of worship where long-time parishioners and
newcomers feel a sense of welcome.
“Even though we’re big we try to keep it personal,” Father
Susann said, adding that he personally telephones every new parish family to
welcome them to St. Ann’s. In 1998, he called 680 families.
“I think it’s real important to do that especially in such a large
parish. People really need to feel they are welcome and cared for by their
church.”
The Church of St. Ann is staffed by the Missionaries of Our Lady of
LaSalette, headquartered in Hartford, Conn. The order was founded after a
Marian apparition in a French Alps village Sept. 19, 1846. A weeping image of
the Virgin Mary appeared to two shepherd children with a message of God’s
love and compassion.
“The message of LaSalette priests and brothers is to make Mary’s
message of reconciliation and forgiveness known to all,” said Father
Susann. “That adds a special touch to our ministry. We’re called to
bring the alienated and marginalized back to the ways of God.”
The parish was founded in August 1978 from an area formerly assigned to Holy
Family Church in Marietta. The first Masses were held at Mt. Zion United
Methodist Church and the mission was first called The Bishop Lake Catholic
Church. Early parishioners chose to name their new church community St. Ann,
after the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Groundbreaking for St. Ann’s was held Jan. 13, 1980, and the first Mass
was celebrated in the new church on Christmas Eve that same year with a
children’s liturgy and dedication ceremony. Father Tom Carroll, MS, now
pastor at St. Oliver Plunkett in Snellville, was the first pastor, serving St.
Ann’s for 13 years.
The original seating capacity for the sanctuary was 650, but to accommodate
the church’s growing population, a balcony was constructed in 1983 that
added room for 350 more. In September 1990, the education building was expanded
to provide additional classrooms, office space, a youth center and gymnasium.
The church continues to grow to meet today’s needs.
“We’ve just purchased 4-1/2 acres of land adjacent to our property
and we are going to use a large portion as a parking lot, adding 140
spaces,” said Father Susann. “The people who lived there built a nice
log cabin which we are going to use as a guest house for visiting LaSalettes
and friends and relatives of the priests. We’re going to call it
Mary’s House.”
When a newcomer or visitor first arrives at St. Ann’s, the sense of
welcome begins with the church building itself. A blend of contemporary and
Gothic styles gives a welcoming and inviting appearance. Dominating the
church’s interior is a breathtaking resurrection cross which seems to
float above the altar. This depiction of the resurrected Christ serves as a
clear reminder to churchgoers of Christ’s triumph over death and his
desire for his people to return to him.
“This is a unique and very exciting place for ministry,” said
Father Susann. “I find myself being more of an enabler and motivator,
delegating responsibility to others. The empowerment of the laity is very
important. Here at St. Ann’s, we have a tremendous amount of
volunteers.”
The parish’s “Stewardship Time, Talent and Treasure Commitment
Book,” which has been used as a model for other parishes, begins
with the words of St. Francis of Assisi: “Remember that when you leave
this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received--only what you
have given: a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and
courage.”
The people of St. Ann really take this message to heart.
“This is a very generous parish,” said Kathy Mawn, a charter
member who is active with the St. Vincent de Paul Society. “We well
exceeded our goal for the capital campaign and give generously to every
missionary who visits our parish. People here contribute to St. Vincent de Paul
all year, then again at Christmas through the Adopt-A-Family program.”
Through the program, parishioners provide families in need with food and
gifts.
The parish recently adopted a refugee family from Kosovo, working through
Catholic Social Services to locate housing, employment, transportation, a
translator and other needs to “help the family have a good life
here,” explained Father Susann. The parish also has a twin parish, Our
Lady of Guadalupe in Wahneta, Fla., which is made up of migrant farm workers.
“We exchange ideas, help them with fund-raising efforts and, from time
to time, I have a pulpit exchange with the pastor there, Father Norman
Farland,” said Father Susann.
St. Ann’s Hispanic choir switched places this past summer with the
choir from Our Lady of Guadalupe and teens from Marietta have gone down to meet
with teens there. “We’ve invited people from their parish to
come here to work at the Apple Annie Craft Show,” said Father Susann.
The Apple Annie Craft Show, held the first weekend in December, is one of
the major fund-raisers sponsored by St. Ann’s Women’s Guild. Proceeds
benefit parish ministries as well as the needy in nearby communities.
“We charge crafters for their booth space and, as part of their
contract, each of the 139 crafters donates an item for our Blue Light Booth. We
raffle those items separately along with a quilt we have made every year,”
said former president Joanne Simpson.
The other major fund-raisers are a spring garage sale and the annual fashion
show.
“(The fashion show) went from a simple event to a large fund-raiser for
Habitat for Humanity.” Simpson said the event raises about $10,000, part
of the $45,000 cost involved in building a Habitat House.
Parishioners donate furniture, clothing and other items for the Guild’s
annual garage sale, a weeklong event held each spring. Before the first
customer arrives, the Women’s Guild allows those in need to have first
choice.
Volunteer Jane Whitehead explained, “These families are given a voucher
based on their needs and we invite them to come before we open to take whatever
they need, whether it’s furniture, household items or clothing. People are
surprised to learn we ‘give the best stuff away.’ But, it’s like
the story of the loaves and the fishes--we still have so much left over and the
sale makes between $10,000 and $12,000 for charity.”
The Women’s Guild is not just a fund-raising organization for the
church.
“We sponsor two evenings of reflection every year,” she said.
“And some of us play bingo with senior citizens once a month ... During
the summer the Women’s Guild, Knights of Columbus and Girl and Boy Scouts
serve doughnuts after Masses to keep a feeling of community when things are
less active.”
Opportunities for service and looking out for others have created an
atmosphere of caring at St. Ann’s.
“It’s the little things that make St. Ann’s a special place.
It has a feeling of community and intimacy. I don’t know how they
accomplish it, but people certainly feel they are welcome here,” Simpson
said. “My first Mass was when Father Tom was telling everyone he was
leaving. As he went through the history of the church I went through a box of
Kleenex. I think I have been through a case of tissues at this church.”
Pastoral Care at St. Ann’s is an extensive ministry, with countless
volunteers who prepare and deliver meals to the sick, host funeral receptions,
coordinate prayer groups and support other ministries to the bereaved, divorced
and separated, and shut-ins.
Sue Deering, director of Pastoral Care, explained how the office supports
parish ministries such as Rainbows and Spectrum, which help children and teens
grieving a death, divorce or any other painful transition in their lives. It
also assists Prism, a ministry for the parents of these youth.
“We schedule the priests’ visits to the sick and hospitalized and
arrange for meals for families whenever there is a need,” Deering said.
“We have over 200 people who prepare meals for funerals and another 50 who
do meals just for shut-ins. There are a lot of people involved in this
ministry.”
Pastoral Care has added another organization under its umbrella, “a
holistic program for our senior citizens that deals with their spiritual,
physical and social needs.” It is called Ministry to the “55”
Plus.
Deering said an active seniors group already exists, “but we realize
there is a whole group of seniors that we are not really ministering to. People
are concerned with issues like assisted living, nursing homes and health care.
We frequently get calls from people asking about the types of services
available for their parents.”
When St. Ann’s first started, the parish was primarily made up of
families with young children, but some older generations have followed their
children to St. Ann’s.
“I personally know 10 older couples who are here because their kids are
here,” said Mawn. “Instead of moving to Florida to retire, many
people are choosing to live here because when they visited their children they
loved it.”
One reason the church has so many active ministries is the overwhelming
support of the clergy.
“The priests here are very open to new ideas, but if you have one, be
prepared to work,” said Deering.
Some of the many organizations that started out as someone’s idea
include: cancer support ministry; Catholic Spirit, a program for middle
school-age students centered on the Eucharist; Dismas House Prison Ministry;
Familia, a faith organization helping mothers live out their Catholic Christian
faith; Marriage Encounter/WEDS ministry; Married with Kids ministry; Meals for
Parish Homebound; Ministry to Physically/Mentally Challenged People; Mission
Club, which supports LaSalette missions in Bolivia and Argentina; Prayer and
Praise ministry; Promise Keepers; St. Ann’s Spirit, a top-notch
church publication that keeps the parish informed; Single-Parent Network;
Technical Support ministry, which maintains the church’s website
(www.st-ann.org); transportation ministry, which provides rides for people who
would otherwise be unable to attend Mass; a vocation committee; and Welcoming
and Hospitality ministry, which helps with Sunday registration after Mass and
hosts functions for newcomers each year.
Most of the year St. Ann’s has 19 regularly scheduled Masses each week.
Liturgist Karen Morning coordinates each of them, arranging for altar servers,
lectors and eucharistic ministers, and then making sure everything goes as
planned.
“I’m usually here for four of the eight Masses on the
weekend,” she said.
One popular service is the Family Mass. This is celebrated in the gymnasium
at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays from Labor Day to Memorial Day and is attended by
about 500 people.
“This service is designed so the whole family can be together, even if
they have very young children. The children are the greeters, ushers and first
grades and older are trained to be lectors. We have children who carry banners
with seasonal colors so more have the chance to participate,” said
Morning.
The music throughout the liturgy appeals to the children as well. During the
Liturgy of the Word, the children gather around the priest who gears his homily
toward them. Then, all family members join together for the Liturgy of the
Eucharist.
Once during the Family Mass, Father Susann had the children “follow the
leader” to illustrate a Gospel reading about following Jesus.
“The children love being involved in Mass,” said Morning.
“Five years from now these same children are going to be serving the
church as the lectors and ushers at the Life Teen Mass.”
The love of worshipping is taking root in the youth.
“A mother told me once she and her husband were planning to sleep in
because it was their anniversary but couldn’t because their child woke
them up to go to church. She said, ‘What do you do when your 4-year-old
asks, are we going to Mass this morning? You go.’”
Musically, there is something for everyone at St. Ann’s. The Music
Ministry, led by John Barker, is an integral part of parish life. Barker, who
works closely with Ed Bolduc from the Life Teen Program, said that the music at
each service has its own flavor, ranging from contemporary, using various
instruments like drums, guitars, bass and piano, to a more traditional flavor,
with a cantor accompanied by a piano or organ.
“I pick the music for all Masses, except Life Teen, based on the
liturgical readings,” Barker said, adding that the goal of Music Ministry
at St. Ann’s is giving parishioners an opportunity and desire to
participate.
“We have a real drive to get our congregation to sing along with
us,” Barker said. “We try not to just be performing. We really focus
on getting people to sing with us.”
St. Ann’s has a number of musical groups including Truth Choir (teens);
St. Ann’s Singers (contemporary); Schola (traditional); Life Teen Band;
Spanish Choir; and the Cherub and Children’s Choir. They recently added
Youth Handbells and Youth Orchestra. The ministry sponsors several concerts
during the Christmas season.
The Parish School of Religion, Order of Christian Initiation of Adults and
Order of Christian Initiation of Children fall under the direction of long-time
parishioner Mary Ann Fischer. There are 2,000 children enrolled in the Parish
School of Religion. Classes are arranged in time tracks, 18 one-hour and 15
minute sessions, and are kept small--13 students to a teacher and an aide.
“We try to instill a positive sense of church in these children and
provide them with a positive way of viewing their life as connected with a
faith community,” Fischer said. “The textbook series follows a
sequence that brings the children into the story of Jesus and the story of the
church. It teaches how we live as a sacramental people.”
The PSR staff has everything ready for the catechists so they can
concentrate on having quality time to share their faith and build the Christian
story, she explained.
“The people in this parish take the religious education of their
children very seriously. We have excellent attendance, remarkable really. It
shows a real commitment both on the part of the family and the kids that this
is something that is important in their lives,” said Fischer.
St. Ann’s has a solid reputation as a warm, friendly place to worship
and many give credit for this to the LaSalette priests.
“The LaSalettes are some of the most wonderful people I have ever
met,” said Mawn. “When you have a LaSalette priest at your parish,
then you have the whole community behind him. There is a warmth among the
LaSalettes.”
St. Ann’s Office Manager Linda Field, who attends another LaSalette
parish in Canton, Our Lady of LaSalette, said, “The LaSalettes live in a
community--not alone, but with fellow LaSalettes. Because of that connection,
they are like a big family. They all have the same spirit. This carries over to
the parishes they serve. That’s why St. Ann’s is like a big
family.”
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