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BY ERIKA ANDERSON
Staff Writer
ALPHARETTA--“Let the doors be opened,” proclaimed Archbishop John
F. Donoghue as he blessed the entrance to Holy Redeemer School Oct. 4.
Eighth-grade students held candles as the archbishop blessed the doors,
beginning the dedication of the new elementary school, which serves students in
kindergarten through eighth grade and is led by Principal Mary Reiling.
Holy Redeemer School was the first of three new elementary schools funded by
the 1997 “Building the Church of Tomorrow” Capital Campaign to be
dedicated in October. The campaign far exceeded its goal of $50 million by
raising over $100 million for the construction of new schools and Catholic
campus centers, as well as for endowment funds for the education of
seminarians, for tuition assistance, and for the retirement needs of priests.
Led by the choir from the Church of the Transfiguration in Marietta,
students, faculty and parents gathered in the school’s gymnasium singing
“All Are Welcome.”
Archdiocesan education officials including Msgr. Terry Young, Secretary for
Education, Sandra Smith, Ph.D., superintendent of Catholic schools, and Judith
Mucheck, assistant superintendent, attended the dedication. Principals from
other archdiocesan schools were also present, including Sister Patricia Clune,
CSJ, of Queen of Angels School, Roswell; Peggy Warner, of Christ the King
School, Atlanta; Joan Tiernan, of Our Lady of the Assumption School, Atlanta;
John Mayer, of Our Lady of Lourdes School and St. Anthony’s School,
Atlanta; Donald Sasso, of St. Pius X High School, Atlanta; and Sister Dawn
Gear, GNSH, of Our Lady of Mercy High School, N. Fayette County, which is
scheduled to open next fall. Sister Rita Raffaele, GNSH, religious education
coordinator at St. John Neumann School, Lilburn, also attended the dedication,
which was planned by Rosanne Bowen, director of religious education at Holy
Redeemer.
The fourth- and fifth-grade students, girls dressed in red plaid school
jumpers and the boys in khaki pants, white shirts and red striped ties then
sang “Gathered as One,” before the archbishop and other pastors asked
for God’s blessings for the school.
Several pastors and priests from the school’s feeder parishes attended
the dedication. Among those in attendance were Father Paul Reynolds, pastor of
St. Andrew’s Church, Roswell, Father Hugh Marren, pastor of St.
Benedict’s Church, Duluth, and Father Joe Corbett, administrator of St.
Brigid’s Mission, Alpharetta. The mission of St. Benedict’s is
building a church on the same property as Holy Redeemer School and is currently
holding Sunday Mass in the school’s gymnasium. Father Dan Fleming and
Father Jesus Trujillo-Luna, parochial vicars at St. Thomas Aquinas Church,
Alpharetta, and Father Simon Assamoah, parochial vicar at St. Benedict’s
Church, also joined in the celebration of the new school. Deacon Whitney
Robichaux served as the master of ceremonies.
Jan Hartzell, fourth-grade teacher at Holy Redeemer, read from St.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
Following a Gospel reading from St. Matthew, Archbishop Donoghue said that
one of the blessings of his role as bishop is that it allows him to witness the
development and growth of a school over time.
“One of my vantage points as a bishop is that throughout the long
gestation of a school, I am able to see, to hear and to participate in every
step of the way—and I am able to understand just what a great adventure
into human talent and human dedication this kind of project can be,” he
said. “Another vantage point is that I am enabled by my office, to stand
here and to remind us all of this great cooperation, so that we can be grateful
for the Spirit which moves us to do these things. This is the first part of the
blessing we recognize today—that God wishes us, as a part of His will for
us, to build for the future, and to build our future around the well-being of
children, especially the children of our Catholic families.”
The archbishop encouraged the audience to remain ever faithful and grateful
to the Lord.
“Let us congratulate ourselves for what we have done, and promise to
hold up, with whatever resources and sacrifices are asked of us, the future of
this school—but let us first and last thank God—the Father in
Heaven—who gives us daily bread, and mouths to feed, upon His goodness and
love,” he said. “May this school long stand as a beacon of the truth,
as is the Church who built it—a sign set before mankind of God’s
love, and a sign of our concern for the future of our children—may it
prosper always, and always be a safe haven for those who come to learn beneath
its sheltering roof.”
Faculty and staff members of Holy Redeemer School then offered up the
intentions of the community, followed by the response, “We thank you, O
Lord.”
As they stood, the archbishop prayed for the faculty of the school.
“… May all they do be for your glory and may they teach students
in such a way that they will make a difference in this world because they were
part of this school,” he prayed. “Let them teach with love and
justice and show our children the bigger world that needs them. Send forth your
blessings on these, the first faculty and staff of Holy Redeemer, and fill them
with your abundant grace this night.”
The school families and students and the Home and School Association also
received a blessing from Archbishop Donoghue.
The archbishop then proceeded to the pods, or family centers, to bless the
centers and the classrooms. Each pod contains classrooms for three grade
levels. Kindergarten through second grade classrooms are housed in one pod,
third through fifth grade classrooms in another and sixth through eighth grade
classrooms in the third.
The archbishop was accompanied by family representatives from the school.
Three banners, representing the three pods, were held by fathers, each printed
with a phrase from the school’s mission statement. Designed by parents of
the school, the banner for the youngest grades read “Rooted in the Gospel
of Jesus Christ.” The banner for the third, fourth and fifth grades read
“Dedicated to living the principles of Catholic tradition,” and the
words “Faith-centered community” were printed on the middle school
banner. Each banner was placed in the appropriate family center, to remind the
students and faculty of their mission.
Before school opened, the faculty and staff discussed and unanimously voted
on the mission statement.
“Holy Redeemer Catholic School is a faith-centered community, dedicated
to living the principles of the Catholic Tradition rooted in the Gospel of
Jesus Christ,” it reads. “Our school’s environment and
curriculum challenge the full potential of each child and embrace a visionary
approach toward academic excellence and life-long learning.”
As the archbishop blessed each room, a flautist played softly in the
background.
Entering Holy Redeemer School, one finds an open and welcoming reception
area. The hallways are filled with brightly colored signs outside each
classroom, announcing the name of the teacher. Artwork from children lines the
walls. The media center is large and filled with books, as well as networked
computers. Each classroom also has at least four computers in addition to a
computer lab containing at least 30 computers. Throughout the school, many
teachers have stuffed cardinals, the school’s mascot, on their desks.
The crest of the school hangs on the gymnasium wall. Designed by Msgr.
Young, the crest features the initials “HR” surrounded by a crown of
thorns. Msgr. Young said that oftentimes images of Christ as a redeemer show
him wearing the crown of thorns. The motto of the school translates from Latin
to read “Redeem Us on Account of Your Mercy,” and like the rest of
the crest, is in the school colors of red and gold.
Returning to the gym, the community sang the Lord’s prayer, led also in
sign language by Holy Redeemer third-grade students. The archbishop then gave a
final blessing.
The excitement generated by the dedication of Holy Redeemer School has been
in the making since the school broke ground for construction July 17, 1998.
Located in northeast Fulton County on Old Alabama Road, the school was designed
by architects Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates of
Atlanta, to serve 500 students. The $6,100,000 project was overseen by Catholic
Construction Services’ CEO George Barrie and project manager Carl
Trevathan.
Reiling, a native of Cleveland, began work at the archdiocesan Catholic
Center on July 1, 1998, giving input on the school’s interior design and
curriculum, as well as staff and faculty. Reiling came to Holy Redeemer with
over 20 years’ experience in education, including serving as principal of
St. Leo’s School in Fairfax, Va., and the Gesu School in Cleveland.
Reiling completed a $5 million building project at Gesu, a Jesuit school, and
served as the principal when the school won the National School of Excellence
Award twice--the only school in the Diocese of Cleveland to do so.
Reiling received her bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame College in
Cleveland in 1977 and a master’s degree in religious studies from St.
Charles Seminary in Philadelphia in 1989. In 1993 she received a master’s
in educational administration from the University of Dayton, Ohio. Reiling also
holds a principal’s certificate and an assistant superintendent’s
certificate.
Father Marren said that it is valuable for the children of his parish to be
educated in Catholic schools.
“Catholic schools not only teach us how to make a living, but they
teach us how to live,” he said. “A full education teaches us the
values of living as well as gives us the academics to teach us how to make a
living.”
Father Marren said that the people who built the school did a “lovely
job.”
“I think it’s beautiful and it’s really a credit to all the
people who worked on it,” he said. “Everyone seems to be happy and
they should be. It’s really marvelous.”
Father Corbett said he was glad to be a part of the dedication.
“It was an honor to be part of the school dedication, to see and share
in such a wonderful and warm occasion as the blessing of the school building,
the staff and the first students and their families,” he said.
“I’m sure that the great atmosphere already present at the school
will continue and be obvious to all who visit the school.”
Father Corbett also expressed his excitement for the future of the school
and his gratitude to those who made the school possible.
“Or course this new addition to our Catholic schools and the
archdiocese was all made possible from the commitment and amazing generosity of
the people of our archdiocese, the staff of our archdiocese and the first
families of the school,” he said. “I look forward to seeing the
school spirit continue to shine and to assisting the school in whatever way I
can, to help share our Catholic faith with the future of our church.”
Reiling said that the dedication was an exciting event in the school’s
history.
“The faculty and families of Holy Redeemer were excited for the
dedication to take place,” she said. “This way they could thank the
archbishop and the archdiocese for the beautiful building we have
received.”
“All we have is gift,” she said. “Through the dedication, we
formally took ownership to carry on the tradition of Catholic education we
inherited from the Archdiocese of Atlanta.”
The school opened its doors for the first day of class Sept. 7 and in the
month and a half that it has been opened, many parents have already seen
changes in their children as a result.
Michele Schamp, co-president of the Home and School Association, has three
boys, one in kindergarten, one in second grade and the oldest in third grade.
“For me, the spiritual side is really important,” she said.
“Three boys can be pretty unruly, but in the past weeks, I’ve really
seen a difference in their behavior at home. They just seem to have a little
more self control and it’s great to hear them get in the car and talk
about St. Francis or the Blessed Virgin Mary’s birthday.”
Schamp feels that being able to talk about God and to pray in school helps
her children to focus academically as well.
“They’re young, they have a long road ahead of them, but hopefully
this will have an effect on their lives and help them grow in their
faith.”
Beth and Jim Judson have a third-grade student and a fourth-grader at Holy
Redeemer. Mr. Judson called the school a “vibrant place” and Mrs.
Judson said that they have been waiting for a Catholic school to open in their
area for a long time.
“By this opening up it was really an answer to our prayers,” she
said. “It’s been amazing the way everyone has come together as a
family so quickly.”
Anne Danish, the co-president of the Home and School Association, has twin
daughters in the third grade as well as a son in sixth grade.
“I was tremendously excited when I heard about the school,” she
said. “I wanted my kids to be in Catholic school, but there wasn’t
one close to where we live. To have your kids in a Catholic school so close to
your home is just an incredible feeling.
Danish has also seen a difference in her children since they began attending
Holy Redeemer.
“The religious aspect is more than I hoped for. I like hearing them
talk about God in their lives,” she said. “They never did that before
and it’s really wonderful.”
Danish said that her children are excited to go to school each day and that
they are challenged in a fun and enjoyable way, which gives her confidence in
knowing her children are receiving a quality education.
“We’ve waited so long and our wish is finally coming true,”
she said. “And it’s coming true in such a wonderful way. There have
been almost no stumbling blocks. It’s just been perfect.”
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