Print Issue: December 12, 2002

St. Brigid's Parishioners Rejoice As New Church Is Dedicated To God's Glory

Once a mission of St. Benedict Church, Duluth, today St. Brigid Church, Alpharetta, is a parish standing on its own with more than 1,800 families and a new 51,000-square-foot building. (Photos by Michael Alexander)

By Rebecca Rakoczy, Staff Writer

ALPHARETTA - Oil and water. Light and incense. Words and music.

A church dedication is a sensory experience, elevating us, and evoking our own baptism and confirmation. The walls are sprinkled with holy water, the altar anointed in oil, and censed with fragrant smoke. The eternal flame is lit. On Saturday, Nov. 2, the new St. Brigid's Church became more than brick and mortar. As Archbishop John F. Donoghue dedicated the structure to the glory of God, it became a holy temple of the Lord.

More than 1,200 parish families, pastor Father Joe Corbett, parochial vicar Father Bob Frederick and priests and deacons from throughout the archdiocese participated in the two-and-a- half-hour dedication ceremony.

The beautiful 51,000-square-foot church structure, with gleaming steeple, was finished almost four years from the day when it was dedicated as a mission of St. Benedict Church, Duluth on Nov. 1, 1998.

As building committee chairman John Schiavone presented Archbishop Donoghue with the ceremonial keys and architectural plans of the completed church, there was rejoicing from the congregation. Then the archbishop, accompanied by members of the clergy, sprinkled holy water throughout the sanctuary, day chapel, and parish facilities, as parishioners bowed their heads in prayer.

During his homily, the archbishop told the standing room only gathering that, "Throughout this very special and beautiful liturgy we are celebrating today, certain words and phrases are repeated frequently, such as 'God in His holy dwelling,' or references to the 'holy temple of the Lord' . . . The substance of this dedication today is sanctification - the making holy of this church space, its doors, its walls, the very floors upon which the people of God will walk and process - and above all, the altar, upon which the sacrifice of the Mass will be offered and from whose holy surface the meal of our eternal life, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, will be served."

The congregation joins hands across aisles during the Our Father at the Mass of dedication for St. Brigid Church, Alpharetta, Nov. 2. As the sweet odor of incense fills the air, Archbishop John F. Donoghue censes the church altar. (L-r) Deacon William Lange, Archbishop John F. Donoghue, Father Joe Corbett, pastor, and Father Robert Frederick, parochial vicar, prepare to exit the sanctuary of St. Brigid Church, Alpharetta, following the Nov. 2 Mass of dedication.

He added, "We Catholics cannot be satisfied with a simple meeting hall - for us, the hall must be a meeting place between God and man. For this reason, every inch of space, every vessel and sacramental, everything we can touch, see, feel, hear and taste in our church must be marked with that holiness that comes from God, and fills our souls with his saving grace-the knowing, the feeling, that by his power we are being saved, we are being made holy, we are being made worthy to share with him eternal life in heaven."

As the chorus, under the musical direction of Kathy Krause, sang the recessional verses of "Cry the Gospel," with the refrain, "Lord be glorified, be holy, cry the gospel with your life!" the ceremony and Mass were ended and the congregation spilled into the parish hall for a reception.

For many families, the road to the dedication and the new building was a continuation of the strong community that had begun four years earlier almost to the day, when 500 of the faithful participated in the first Mass in Centennial High School in 1998.

In 1999, the mission church moved to the adjacent Holy Redeemer Elementary School gymnasium - and grew larger still. Mass was celebrated on the school stage, while parishioners sat in chairs on the basketball court. Daily Mass was held in a doublewide trailer, while the parish business was conducted in a triple-wide trailer.

Today the parish has more than 1,800 families and is still growing.

While in awe of their new church and building, many parishioners said it wasn't so much the physical structure that drew them to St. Brigid's, as it was the spirit of community, and its Christ-centered mission.

"It's awesome. These are great people and everybody volunteers - it's a family-oriented young parish," said Shelly Langa, who has been a member of the church since 1998. Active in vacation Bible school and children's ministry with her husband, Tom, they say there is "an incredible spiritual environment here."

Corinne Smith, who joined with her family after the parish moved from Centennial High School, also commented on the sense of community present within the parish.

"My children made their first Communion in the gym (at Holy Redeemer)," she said. "Now I am thinking about their confirmation and marriages here" in this church.

Russ and Isa Spencer were originally parishioners at St. Benedict's in Duluth, but started going to daily Mass at St. Brigid's when it opened four and a half years ago. While Spencer admitted it was sometimes a stretch to feel holy around basketball hoops, it again was St. Brigid's sense of family and community that brought them back again.

The St. Brigid Church parish hall contains a 15-foot by 32-foot stage, a built-in dance floor, its own sound system and a fully equipped catering kitchen. A bride's room is located on the ground level of the church. The first wedding in the new church will take place Saturday, Jan. 25, 2003. Father Joe Corbett, right, pastor of St. Brigid Church, stands with Jim Shields, left, "Molly" the llama and children of the parish, (l-r) Sam Sweeney, Lindsey Wilkinson, Andrew Couillard and Andrew Wilkinson, during an autumn picnic. For more than a year the trailer on the left served as the parish administrative office, while the trailer on the right served as the daily Mass chapel.

"My wife came out here and liked the atmosphere," he said. So did he, and the family has since become involved as eucharistic ministers. A daughter, Maria, is an altar server and helped during the dedication Mass. And when their sixth child was born in September, Father Corbett baptized her in the trailer chapel, he said.

Ann and Joseph Adamczak became members and worshiped in the school gymnasium. While she was excited to see how the church turned out, she said it "hasn't been that difficult" to have Mass in the gym.

"The sense of family and friends here are wonderful," she said. "It's wonderful to see all the young children."

Father Corbett noted that the parish has always been Christ-centered, and sees it as one of the main reasons for the parish's quick growth.

"From the days of the very first Mass at Saint Brigid, just a little over four years ago, we have tried very hard to emphasize and teach the importance of the Eucharist as the center of our daily lives, as individuals, families and the importance of building up a eucharistic-centered parish life - most especially through our ministries and organizations," Father Corbett said "St. Brigid's wonderful new church is being made possible through the amazing prayerful and sacrificial generosity of individuals and families to our fund-raising campaign. God works in awesome ways - and since that first Sunday Mass, He continues to work in unbelievable ways through the people and staff of this wonderful parish."

"It's a very vibrant parish," said Myron Livingston, parish director of operations. The ongoing capital campaign has raised more than $10 million from donations from parishioners to help build the church and facilities, he said. Added Father Corbett, "I pray and hope that this church will contribute to our generation and future generations the same spiritual inspiration the churches of old brought to the Catholic generations before us."

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Father Robert Frederick, parochial vicar at St. Brigid Church, ascends to the top of the portable climbing wall during the parish picnic, Sept. 29.