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.”

NORTHEAST COBB CHURCH -- The Church of St. Ann, Marietta, established in 1978, today has an estimated 13,000 parishioners, more than 87 active ministries and six different choirs.
Photo by Michael Alexander

PATRON SAINT -- A bronze statue of St. Ann is located just to the right of the church’s front entrance. The saint’s feast day is July 26.

MORNING FELLOWSHIP -- Father Joseph Nolan, MS, left, talks to Frankie Sweet, center, and her daughter, Davilyn Sweet-Tabb, following the 8:45 a.m. Mass. Father Nolan, who is retired, is in residence at the parish.

PASTOR -- Father Bob Susann, MS