Print Issue: September 5, 2002

Newton County's First Parish Celebrates Patron Saint On 25th Anniversary

Deacon Richard Mickle, left, and altar server James Luti stand with Archbishop John F. Donoghue as he sprinkles the pedestal at St. Augustine Church, Covington, which will eventually hold the statue of the parish patron saint. The pedestal has four dates inscribed on it: 430 (the year St. Augustine died), 1959 (the year St. Augustine was established as a mission), 1977 (the year St. Augustine became a parish) and 2002 (the year the statue of St. Augustine was placed in front of the church). (Photos by Michael Alexander)

By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer

COVINGTON - Out of earshot of the busy Atlanta traffic, away from the bright lights of the city, sits St. Augustine Church.

It is the center of worship for many Catholics in Newton County, and many parishioners attended a special celebration Aug. 27, the vigil of the feast of St. Augustine of Hippo, during which Archbishop John F. Donoghue blessed a pedestal which will later hold a statue of the parish's patron saint in honor of the 25th anniversary of the parish.

The archbishop, surrounded by a circle of parishioners, sprinkled water on the pedestal as he recounted the life of St. Augustine and the history of the parish. Established in 1977, St. Augustine was the first parish in Newton County.

Parishioners processed into the church for a Mass celebrated by pastor Father John Howren. Father John Kieran, pastor of nearby St. Pius X Church in Conyers, concelebrated the Mass, presided at by the archbishop.

In his homily, Father Howren spoke of the patron saint of the parish, whom he said had one of the "most interesting" faith journeys. Trained in Christianity, he lost his faith in youth and led a wild life. He lived with a woman and even fathered a son. But, through the prayers of his mother, St. Monica, St. Augustine returned to the faith at age 33 and became a priest at 36. He is one of the few saints recognized as a doctor of the Catholic Church.

"St. Augustine was a great sinner, he was a great genius, he was a great lover and he was a great saint," Father Howren said.

Gathered in the simple wood-paneled church decorated in muted earth tones, longtime parishioners and new families celebrated the life of their parish.

At the end of the Mass, Archbishop Donoghue expressed his gratitude to parishioners and Father Howren for inviting him to the anniversary celebration. He also praised parishioners for their great devotion to their patron saint.

"There is no finer way to honor our Lord, and to thank Him for all His blessings upon us, than to pay due respect to His saints," he said.

"For the saints of God are like beacons along our way - whenever we begin to fail in inspiration, whenever we feel we need special help with our prayers, whenever we look for a model of behavior, someone to help us admit our sins and return to the fellowship of the Church, and to a peaceful relationship with God - then it is to the saints we turn, for they have been most like us, pilgrims here on the earth, striving with all the difficulties we face, and working hard to be good, to be faithful, and to keep love in our hearts, for God, and for our fellow human beings."

St. Augustine parishioners stand during the "prayers of the faithful." The Newton County parish is celebrating its 25th anniversary of existence.

The archbishop called St. Augustine a "true champion" whose life took him from the "depths of disbelief to the heights of inspired faith."

The icon of St. Augustine is displayed in the gathering area of the church.

"In blessing the new statue, which will symbolize his protection of this parish, we honor God, who is honored in all His saints, and we raise a sign to all who need help, that if they but look into the words and wisdom of this great saint, they will undoubtedly find an answer to all troubling questions," he said.

He finished with a blessing for parishioners who will continue to celebrate the anniversary of their parish.

"As you begin this month-long celebration, my prayer is that God will continue to bless you and watch this parish continue to thrive," he said.

Following the Mass, parishioners gathered in the parish hall for food and fellowship, sharing memories of the early days of the parish.

Mary Jordan has been attending St. Augustine since 1974, when it was still a mission church of Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Decatur.

"You find what you're looking for here - good people who care about each other," she said, adding that there were only 25 families when she first attended. There are now around 320 families. "Even though we're growing, I still have friends here from long ago."

Because there was no Christian Initiation program at the Newton County Mission, Grady Bowden had to take correspondence classes from St. John's Seminary in Little Rock, Ark., in order to become Catholic. He was baptized in 1947, when he took a bus to Sacred Heart Church in Atlanta.

Members of the St. Augustine Church choir sing the "Gloria" during the Aug. 27 celebration of the Eucharist on the eve of the parish patron saint's feast.

"This is a great parish. Even though we're growing, there's such a bond of fellowship here," he said. "The camaraderie is the same. At large churches, there's not the same chance for the intimacy that small churches have."

Archbishop John F. Donoghue, second from the left, joins (l-r) Deacon Richard Mickle, Father John Howren and Father John Kieran, pastor of St. Pius X Church, Conyers, at the altar during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Kihwan Shoemaker is originally from Korea and has been attending St. Augustine's since 1973. She said through the years, she has stuck by the parish in its ups and downs.

"I had friends leave, but I stayed here," she said. "I know God has a purpose in keeping me here. We're like family since we're so small. A lot of people came from big churches and they love it here."

Father Howren, who has been the pastor of St. Augustine for the last two years, said that the people are truly giving.

"There is an incredible generosity that seems to flow through this parish. The people here really embrace the whole concept of Christian community that we are called to as parishes, but that some parishes have difficulty obtaining and maintaining," he said. "It's something I've been really trying to foster and they've responded well. I've tried to raise the bar on the quality of our worship and as a result I've seen them becoming the best community pray-ers that I have witnessed in a long time."

Other events to celebrate the 25th anniversary include a book club reading of "The Life of St. Augustine of Hippo," devotional prayer hours, a Labor Day picnic and an ecumenical evening of song and verse celebrating the life of St. Augustine, which will be held Sept. 18.