By Rebecca Rakoczy

Special To The Bulletin

DECATUR--Two hundred and seventy-six: That was the number of slaves, soldiers and travelers aboard a storm-tossed ship as told in Acts 27: 1-44.

With the apostle Paul on board, they weathered stormy seas by pulling together as a team and working for the common good. Although the boat was lost, all aboard were saved.

Coincidentally the same number of individuals, 276, attended St. Thomas More’s T2K workshop which reflected upon the parallels between the Scripture reading and the parish’s future efforts to make a successful journey as a community into the next millennium.

Called “Together 2000,” the all-day event Sept. 11 was organized as a response to Pope John Paul II’s call to Catholic communities to look at ways to reassert their pledges of charity, justice and peace for the Jubilee Year and into the third millennium.

Led by Kathleen O’Connor, professor of Old Testament language, literature and exegesis at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, and Father Patrick Mulhern, pastor, those attending listened and discussed what parts of community were important to them, breaking into groups to reflect on different aspects of the story of St. Paul.

Louanne Bachner, an undergraduate instructor at the Catholic Center at Emory University, helped prepare for the day, but couldn’t participate fully because of laryngitis.

Speaking to the crowd gathered, O’Connor said, “What happens when we think of the ship as a metaphor for St. Thomas More and our community? Who is on board and what storms outside and internal conflicts threaten us? And is it possible we’ve become so comfortable that we’re unaware of the storms around us?” she asked. “In Decatur, what do we have to throw overboard in order that all might be saved?”

In the afternoon, Father Mulhern and O’Connor moderated a question and answer forum, where attendees shared personal stories about what community meant to them and how parishioners at St. Thomas More Church could further strengthen their community commitments.

The day ended with the celebration of Mass and participants received a detailed list of ways they could become involved within the church and the wider community.