By Catherine M. Jones, Ph.D., Special To The Bulletin

DAHLONEGA—On Sunday, July 8, Archbishop John F. Donoghue concelebrated the 11 a.m. Mass and presided at the blessing of the new church extension and furnishings at St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Dahlonega, some 70 miles north of Atlanta.

The population growth experienced in Atlanta has drifted northward, via Georgia 400, to this former gold rush town nestled against the skyline of the Blue Ridge Mountains. About 40 years ago, Catholics who moved here had to travel to Atlanta to attend Mass. Then, in 1960, as Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan wrote: “The Glenmary Fathers came to Dahlonega and surrounding counties. They rented a home and built a tiny chapel. In two years, the Catholic population rose from 25 to 70.”

Then, in 1962, the archbishop continued, “a great opportunity” arose. The 62-year-old Presbyterian church next door to the rectory was put on sale, and the archbishop sanctioned its purchase with lighting and heating fixtures, carpet, venetian blinds and shrubbery included. A team of Glenmary brothers, college volunteers and parishioners completely remodeled the interior and installed central heating, new electrical wiring, painted half of the exterior and put on a new roof. In addition, they added two front porches and a new entrance to the back of the church. The Church of the Divine Infant in Westchester, Ill., donated the oak pews, altars and sacristy furnishings. On Aug. 18, 1963, Archbishop Hallinan offered the first Sunday Mass in St. Luke the Evangelist Church. The archbishop formally dedicated the church and the new rectory/student center on Aug. 23, 1964. Some 200 people representing all denominations in Dahlonega gathered at the American Legion Hall for a dinner following the dedication ceremony with Father Leonard Spanjers, the first pastor of St. Luke’s, as host.

The 10th, 20th and 25th anniversaries of the parish were celebrated with local festivities. In 1982, the archdiocese took over the parish and staffed it with diocesan clergy, and the Glenmary Fathers moved on. In the booklet prepared for the observance of the 25th anniversary in 1985, it was noted that “several improvements have been made to the church since Father Henley’s arrival”—new carpeting, a multipurpose room and the purchase of a new organ. And in 1997, under Father Ed Danneker, the present pastor, the church building was renovated and the seating rearranged to accommodate the growing population. The shutters on the windows were removed and replaced by ten large and seven smaller stained glass windows to let in the light.

Yet even as the stained glass windows were being installed in the redecorated church, parish membership was growing to 100 families, and the projected growth made further expansion imperative. Father Danneker was offering three Masses each weekend at St. Luke’s and one at Christ the King mission in Dawsonville—an exhausting schedule. During 1997-98 the parish debated short- and long-term solutions suggested by the building committee. Finally in June 1998, a referendum on the matter was held and 54 percent voted for short-term expansion of the existing structure. A letter was sent to the archbishop requesting conceptual approval of the plan, and in January of 1999, approval was granted by the chancellor of operations and development. That year saw physical plans drawn up and financial expenditures approved by the archdiocese. Dahlonega’s Historical Commission passed on the plans, soil samples were taken, and the contractor selection process began. But by December, only four companies had bid on the project and their cost estimates were almost double those estimated by the architect.

Since digging a basement for the extension offered such a high risk, the building committee revised the plans, eliminating the basement and by early 2000 they got approval for the new plans, and again put the project up for bid. By April 2000, Brown & Tucker Contractors had been awarded the contract and the ground breaking took place. On May 1, the footers were poured for the 49-foot extension to the sanctuary of the church. The 26 additional pews this expansion allowed would be able to seat approximately 300 people at a sitting, an increase of 200 over the old church. A confessional was constructed off the sacristy, and the windows in the belfry were uncovered and parishioners were given the opportunity to purchase stained glass windows there. Also six large stained glass windows and several smaller ones were added in the extension. An unnamed donor gave money for a large, round window, an icon of Christ, now installed behind the altar in the sanctuary. In addition, the carpet, lighting and altar furnishings are all new.

Meanwhile, as the construction on the extension proceeded, the parish celebrated the 100th anniversary of the church building on May 27, 2000. A special ecumenical service was held in which the ministers of various Christian congregations in Dahlonega, and former pastors, took part and local politicians attended.

After the extension was completed, the wall between the old church and the extension was broken through to unite the two. For the next three months, weekend Masses were celebrated at an alternate site, the Banister Funeral Chapel. The old pews were donated to a neighboring church in Cleveland, and the new furnishings were installed as they arrived. Finally, parishioners were allowed to celebrate Mass in their newly renovated church on Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Father Danneker announced that the community would celebrate when all the costs were paid-and that was accomplished far ahead of the projected date.

And so, on Sunday, July 8, 2001, the archbishop celebrated Mass and presided over the blessing of the new extension and furnishings. Following the Mass he joined the parish community at a luncheon served by the women of the social committee at the Dahlonega Community Center across from the church. Despite its growth—there are presently about 200 families—and the renovations and character of the buildings as a place of worship for these 100+ years, has remained the same. To the members of St. Luke’s parish it is home.