Print Issue: August 15, 2002
A Century Plus Five: St. Peter Chanel Parishioner Celebrates Birthday With A Mass
 As Martha Rodriguez stands with her hands on her mother's shoulders, Father Frank McNamee offers a birthday blessing to 105-year-old Altagracia Anievas.
(Photos by Linda Schaefer/Archdiocese of Atlanta) |
By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer
ROSWELL - A black and white photo of a 31-year-old, doe-eyed Altagracia Anievas wearing a 1920s-style flapper dress sits in a frame on top of the entertainment center.
Friends and family gather in the living room of the house, as Anievas sits in a chair, her legs covered with a powder-blue afghan. One by one they greet her with hugs and kisses, wishing her "Feliz Cumpleaņos." That day, Aug. 6, the Dominican Republic native is celebrating her 105th birthday.
It is a day, Father Frank McNamee, pastor of St. Peter Chanel Church, said, to "truly reflect on the goodness of God in our lives."
Father McNamee, in honor of the birthday of his church's eldest parishioner, celebrated Mass at the home of Jose and Martha Rodriguez, son-in-law and daughter of Anievas. It was a simple Mass, with about 15 neighbors and family members participating.
"It is a gift for the Lord to come to you in holy Communion to celebrate the gift of life you have given to your children and your faithfulness, love of God and love of family," Father McNamee said in his homily. In her mother's ear, Rodriguez softly translated into Spanish the words of the liturgy.
When asked by Father McNamee about a special life event that she remembers, Anievas spoke of the birth of her first great-grandchild, Alessandra, who, now 11, stood across the room from her great-grandmother.
Following Communion, Anievas sat quietly praying, her face in her hands.
 Altagracia Anievas expresses her gratitude to Father Frank McNamee for celebrating Mass in honor of her 105th birthday. The St. Peter Chanel Church, Roswell, pastor celebrated the Mass Aug. 6 in the home of Anievas' daughter and son-in-law, Martha and Jose Rodriguez. |
"It is a great honor and great privilege for me to celebrate Mass. This is the first time I have celebrated a 105th birthday," Father McNamee said. "This really is a piece of history. We shouldn't take that for granted."
The Irish-native then joked that his "Spanish isn't very good, but my Irish is good" and gave Anievas an Irish blessing.
Anievas was born in 1897 in the Dominican Republic and later resettled in Cuba. She married in 1929 and was married only 10 years before her husband died. She never remarried.
"She worked hard for my brother and myself," Mrs. Rodriguez said. "She worked very, very hard."
Rodriguez recalls her mother, in her younger days, as the "life of the party."
"She used to come with us and be our chaperone," she said. "She liked to sing and dance. We didn't mind her going with us at all. She was always a very happy person."
Rodriguez, a parishioner of St. Peter Chanel, takes Communion weekly to her mother, who lives in a local nursing home, but said that it was moving to have a Mass in honor of her birthday.
"This was such a beautiful thing. It was so emotional to see her here in this Mass," she said. "It was very special and something that will last in my heart forever."
Anievas' grandson, Jose, said that he enjoyed spending time with his grandmother as a young boy. While his parents worked, she would take care of him.
"She's something else. She's a real strong lady," he said. "I really like talking to her. It's amazing how much she's seen. The world has changed so much during her lifetime."
Speaking through her daughter as a translator, Anievas said that she felt "very happy and close to God that there would be a Mass" especially for her. She said that her belief in God is what has helped her persevere in hard times and she believes that faith is the key to living a long life.
"You must have faith in God and put God first in everything you do," she said. "He will help you get through."
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