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By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer
CUMMING—Away from the daily hustle and bustle of downtown, in
a city that has yet to experience the growth spurts of nearby suburbs, Good
Shepherd Church has stood as a spiritual centerpiece for its parishioners for
the past 25 years.
During a festive Mass of thanksgiving that intertwined culture,
history and celebration, with Archbishop John F. Donoghue present, parishioners
commemorated Good Shepherd’s silver anniversary Oct. 16.
A sign that read “Happy Anniversary Church of the Good
Shepherd” hung outside the gray and white church as former and current
parishioners gathered for the Mass that was the culmination of weeks of
celebrating.
Prior to the Mass, Archbishop Donoghue had blessed the rectory
that is home to Father Peter Rau, pastor, and Father John Conway, parochial
vicar.
Trumpets and a handbell choir added richness to the music that was
presented by the various musical ensembles of the parish in English and
Spanish.
Preceding the Mass, parish representatives read the history of the
church in five-year segments. After each, a banner with one ribbon representing
five years was brought forward and placed behind the altar.
The choir led the congregation in “Sing for Joy” as the
archbishop processed into the church. Several priests concelebrated the Mass
including Father Rau; Father Conway; Father Steven Yander, chaplain at St.
Joseph’s Hospital; Father John Anderson, pastor of Prince of Peace Church,
Buford; Father Joseph Fahy, CP, of the archdiocesan Hispanic Apostolate; Father
Fabio Sotelo-Peña, parochial vicar at the Cathedral of Christ the King,
Atlanta; and Father Robert Frederick, parochial vicar at St. Jude the Apostle
Church, Atlanta.
The readings were presented in English and Spanish, reflecting the
community spirit of the parish.
In his homily, Father Rau called the occasion a “celebration
of a new era for Good Shepherd.” He thanked those who had been influential
in the 25-year history and invited others to participate in the church’s
future ventures.
“Today ... we look for and pray for those who will come
forward to help her build her future,” he said.
Father Rau said he believes God is pleased with the faith of Good
Shepherd parishioners. “God indeed has blessed us; God has looked on us
with love,” he said. “The reason God has been so good to us, I
believe, is because he has seen in you the heart of his Son.”
After Communion, the archbishop expressed his joy in celebrating
the church’s anniversary. “The gift of a church that we can call our
home church, is one of the most precious things that we can gain in life, and
that we can hold onto,” he said. “Those of you who are long-timers
here can attest to this, and to those who are younger and who are perhaps only
now beginning their lives here at Good Shepherd, you have come to ... (a
church) with a long record for taking care of its own, and of sharing
generously the resources of this local community, for the benefit of those who
do not have what they need-those whom the Lord has told us to love in a special
way.”
He then encouraged the parishioners to express their gratitude to
God. “As we conclude our Mass together, let us also remember to thank God
for the many blessings He has given us—this beautiful country north of
Cumming, where it is still possible to observe His glorious presence in the
unspoiled nature that surrounds us—these beautiful facilities that house
our spiritual lives and offer shelter for the souls of all who come here for
spiritual sustenance, built and maintained by the honest labor and the generous
giving of the people, but sanctified by God’s holy presence,” he
said. “And finally, let us thank Him for the love of Jesus Christ, which
fills our hearts and minds, and which guarantees that all of this shall
continue, long into the future, after we are perhaps gone, but still, for the
benefit of those who will be here after us.”
Good Shepherd Church has grown significantly since its humble
beginning 25 years ago. In 1971, four Catholic families in the Cumming area
were listed in the census. By 1985 that number had grown to approximately 150
families.
The first recorded home Mass in Forsyth County was celebrated on
Aug. 22, 1974, by Father Thomas Kenny, then pastor of St. Michael’s Church
in Gainesville. The following month the community celebrated Mass at the
Forsyth County Bank. During this time, 18 women formed the first Catholic
Ladies Guild of Cumming with the purpose of helping to establish the Cumming
mission.
Soon after, four nuns from the Adrian Dominican order in Michigan
were accepted by the Archdiocese of Atlanta to initiate social service programs
in rural North Georgia. The archdiocese purchased a house and six acres of land
on Old Atlanta Road, which became the sisters’ future home and the Cumming
Catholic mission’s worship space.
On Jan. 23, 1975, Father Kenny celebrated the first Mass for the
Cumming Catholic mission. Thirty registered families attended and plans were
quickly developed to convert the open carport of the house into a larger
enclosed worship space.
Father Alan Dillmann was the first administrator of the mission
and was appointed in June 1975. In July the Adrian Dominican sisters arrived,
the carport extension was completed and the Cumming mission was named
“Good Shepherd.”
Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan formally dedicated the Church of
the Good Shepherd on Dec. 7, 1975.
In April 1976, “The Place” was established on the
property by the sisters, providing social services to the poor of Forsyth
County. In 1978, after the program was expanded, The Place was re-established
on Pirkle Ferry Road.
Under Father Dillmann’s pastorship, the parish council,
religious education and youth ministry programs were begun, along with many
traditions including the Seder suppers, ecumenical outreach and community
dinners and picnics. When he was transferred in June 1981, Father Walter
Donovan was appointed as the second pastor.
The parish began planning for a new facility while Father Donovan
was pastor as adult formation and Bible study programs were established and
Masses became crowded. When he retired in 1988, Father John Ozarowski became
the third pastor, and under his leadership, the parish moved to a storefront at
Tri-County Plaza for Mass while the new church was built.
With a parish consisting of 290 families, the current church
building on Holtzclaw Road was built and dedicated by Archbishop James P. Lyke,
OFM, on Oct. 20, 1991.
Father Richard Morrow became the parish’s fourth pastor after
Father Ozarowski’s retirement in 1992. He hired the parish’s first
paid secretary, director of religious education and youth minister.
Administrative offices were built, trailers for religious education were
purchased, the preschool and men’s club were established and additional
parking space was added. The Hispanic Mass was also added during this time and
a Religious sister brought in on a part-time basis to assist with the rapidly
growing Hispanic community.
Father Rau became the pastor in 1996 after Father Morrow retired.
By this time, the parish had grown to over 1,000 families. A St. Vincent de
Paul Society was established, the parish hired its first liturgist, and a
full-time Spanish-speaking Religious was added to the staff. Three seminarians
served at the parish while in training and Good Shepherd hosted two first
Masses.
As growth continued and the number of families grew to over 1,400,
the need for a parish at the south end of the county became evident and St.
Brendan’s Church was established in 1999. Father Willie Hickey is now
pastor.
After the anniversary Mass, parishioners gathered in the parish
hall for a reception and reflected on their history. Several of the
church’s original parishioners came back to celebrate.
Linda Hermann, who was the church’s first director of
religious education, wore a sheep pin that she had been given while she was at
Good Shepherd. “I thought I’d wear it tonight and bring him back
home,” she said.
Now director of religious education at Our Lady of the Mountains
Church in Jasper, Hermann said that it was important for her to come back for
the anniversary.
“This is home,” she said. “It was almost like a
training ground. I learned a lot from the people here and they’ve given me
so much. You can still feel the Spirit here. God is really present. You can
just feel it.”
Ronny Moss is also a former parishioner who returned for the
celebration. When he was 14 he moved from New Jersey and was one of the
parish’s first altar boys.
“There are a lot of memories here,” he said. “In
New Jersey we have these huge cathedrals but here I helped start a church. To
be a part of that was very fulfilling.”
Jose Manuel Fuentes, who led the congregation in the Spanish hymns
at Mass, said that the Hispanic community is welcomed at the parish.
“People are very friendly and really care about each
other,” he said. “We are from another country and they welcome us and
really want us to be one of them. I think there’s a wonderful unity and
they give us a wonderful opportunity to participate (in the parish).”
Father Frederick, who served the parish as a transitional deacon
before his ordination in June, said that the parishioners of Good Shepherd are
special.
“I miss them,” he said. “I just had to come back
and share in this milestone of the parish. I still feel very connected to the
people of the parish.”
“They really took an active part in my formation,” he
said. “They really get involved. They made their hopes and dreams and
expectations known to me, which was really helpful.” |
