Print Issue: June 20, 2002

St. Mark's Breaks Ground For New Church In Clarkesville

St. Mark's, which has a large Hispanic community, will be building a new church; they celebrated their ground-breaking by hosting a mariachi band and serving up traditional barbecue - and tamales. Over in Jasper, where plans are to enlarge the fellowship hall and add seven classrooms and more office space, the celebrations included singing Spanish hymns and a reception following the event.

Members of the Mariachi Juvenil America band provide the entertainment during the outdoor dinner, which followed the ground-breaking. The meal included barbecue, tamales, corn, pizza, iced tea and lemonade. (Photos by Michael Alexander)

Sister Martha Herrera, RFR, left, and Deacon John Thompson do the "ground-breaking shuffle" as excitement fills the St. Mark's Church community of Clarkesville. Thompson and his wife, Ruth, were around for the ground-breaking on the first church 35 years ago.

With a hard hat on his head and a shovel in his hand, Father Luis Zarama, center, joins others in breaking ground on their new church. Digging at his side are founding members Rose Tartaglia, bending over in blue, and Deacon John and Ruth Thompson, immediately to the right of the Father Zarama.

Father Luis Zarama, pastor of St. Mark's Church, Clarkesville, shares the history of the parish in Spanish for the Hispanic participants. Duane Mahon, co-chair of the planning committee, shared the same history in English.