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By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer
ROSWELL—The brightly colored balloons released by
parishioners into the cloudy sky reflected the joy of the community as
Archbishop John F. Donoghue presided at a groundbreaking ceremony for St. Peter
Chanel Mission’s first church.
Held June 5, Archbishop Donoghue joined in the celebration of the
mission of the Church of St. Ann, Marietta, along with Father Bob Susann, MS,
pastor of St. Ann’s, Father Frank McNamee, administrator of the mission,
and other priests of the archdiocese, including several Marist priests, who
represented the order of the mission’s namesake, St. Peter Chanel, SM.
After the Liturgy of the Word, Archbishop Donoghue addressed the
enthusiastic crowd, who were undeterred by threatening skies, in his homily.
“It is truly a wonderful attribute of human nature, that we
don’t pass off events such as we celebrate today as if they were nothing
special. After all, a cynic might say—Look, the money’s in place, the
plans are drawn, the need is obvious—why waste your time on silly
ceremonies—just get on with the work so that you can get in the building
and do whatever it is that you’re going to do,” he said.
“Unfortunately, cynics rarely enjoy the spiritual depths of life—that
is to say, they are rarely able to see into the invisible realities of the
spirit world, and perceive exactly what grace is, and how the power of God
moves men and women to achieve great things.”
Jesus Christ, the archbishop said, was a great believer in
ceremonies, as evidenced by his baptism. Ceremonies such as groundbreakings are
necessary because the people must ask God for his blessing.
“That is why, even though we certainly want to get our church
built as quickly as possible, and we certainly want to be celebrating Mass here
at the very first possible moment, we still know that it is extremely important
that as the first bit of earth is turned over; and as the first work on the
foundation is begun, we are here together, as Christ would want us to be,
asking God to bless every aspect of this building project, to continue to
inspire those who are responsible for its completion, and to protect all who
will in any way contribute to its raising.”
The archbishop told those in attendance that the new church will
be a special place of worship, marked by rites and remembrances.
“For when it is finished, it will not be a place that we will
hurry in and out of—no—it will be a place where we will gather and
tarry—tarry to celebrate the goodness of God towards His people-a place
where we will meet Him in the beloved Presence of His Son Jesus Christ, who
fills us with grace by filling us with His own Body and Blood—and a place
where all the events of our lives, as long as we shall attend here, will be
solemnized by prayer and ritual—the birth and Baptism and Confirmation of
our children, the Marriages of our young people, and the leave—taking of
our elders as they set out on the final journey to heaven’s reward.”
Following the homily and general intercessions, the archbishop
prayed a prayer of blessing.
“All-powerful and all-merciful Father, you have created all
things through your Son and have made him the unshakable foundation of your
kingdom,” he prayed. “Through the gift of your eternal wisdom, grant
that the undertaking we begin today for your glory and our own well-being may
progress day by day to its successful completion.”
As the congregation sang “Rain Down,” the archbishop
blessed the ground by sprinkling holy water upon it.
Representatives of the St. Peter Chanel community, including
Archbishop Donoghue; Father McNamee; Father Susann; Deacon Martin Lampe; Sister
Patricia Clune, CSJ, principal of Queen of Angels School; Father William
Rowland, SM, then provincial of the Marist’s San Francisco-Washington
Province; members of the building committee; members of the finance committee;
representatives of Catholic Construction Services; and teen and children
representatives then donned hard hats and shovels and plunged them into the
soil to break ground for the new church.
Following the ceremony, a band from nearby Roswell High School
played as the congregation released celebratory balloons.
Built on the property shared with Queen of Angels Elementary
School and the new Blessed Trinity High School, the new temporary church is
part of a $6 million project that includes the land and future permanent
church, which is set to be completed in the next five years. The temporary
church will become a fellowship hall.
Members of the mission, which serves nearly 700 families, are
currently meeting in the gym at Queen of Angels, and Father McNamee said that
he is grateful to the school community.
“We are truly blessed to have Queen of Angels,” he said.
“Sister Patricia and everyone there have been very obliging.”
The church, designed by Atlanta architects Preston Phillips, Inc.,
and built by contractors Dudley Barrett of Alpharetta, will be built in a
Gothic traditional style. The temporary church will include seating for 700
people, with the later permanent church to hold 1,500 people. The building will
feature a youth lounge, youth office, administrative offices and 10 classrooms.
Construction is scheduled to begin in October.
“It’s wonderful to see the expansion of the Catholic
church meeting the needs of the exploding Catholic population in Georgia,”
Father Susann said. “Father Frank is doing a great job and he’s
serving the people well.”
The motto at St. Peter Chanel is “We are family.” These
are words that the community takes to heart.
“We always want to keep our focus on keeping a family
spirit,” Father McNamee said. “We are nourishing the body of Christ
by nourishing each other through the Holy Spirit.”
Laura Dittus, who represented the teen community in the
groundbreaking, said that she was honored to represent St. Peter Chanel.
“It’s really like a family to us,” she said.
“We’ve gotten to know everyone and it’s so neat to be one of the
founding families.”
Mary Elkins, a member of the mission, attributes much of the
family atmosphere to the administrator.
“I really believe it’s because of Father Frank and his
leadership and his love,” she said. “We are truly blessed to have
such a wonderful leader and such a holy priest.”
Elkins said that an example of Father McNamee’s dedication to
the mission and to Christ is the implementation of weekly eucharistic adoration
at St. Peter Chanel. Held from 9 a.m. Wednesday to 8:30 a.m. each Friday,
adoration at the mission draws around 200 people every week.
“It’s just an alive parish,” Elkins said.
“It’s exciting to not only see young families, but people of all
ages. Watching us grow and come together is like watching a family grow. You
see the high school, you see the elementary school and you see the church,
it’s like the whole Catholic faith evolving right there. It’s
wonderful to see the community that’s happening. It’s almost like a
little Catholic city.”
Kevin McGrath, who has a daughter who will be attending Blessed
Trinity this fall, agreed that the community is strong.
“The people that are there have made a conscious decision to
join in something that is being built, and there’s a real enthusiasm and
energy because of that,” he said.
McGrath said that the people of St. Peter Chanel are active in the
mission.
“You can tell it’s a great community, because people
genuinely care about being involved.”
Although he is looking forward to meeting in a church, McGrath
said that the presence of Christ is obvious, even in the gymnasium.
“Jesus comes to the altar whether we’re in a gym or in a
cathedral,” he said. “The Mass is a prayer of the community and
because the community is so strong, you really feel that prayer.”
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