St. Mary Magdalene Celebrates Parish Elevation

By MARIE MULVENNA, Special To The Bulletin

Published: November 13, 2003

SHARPSBURG—Saturday, Oct. 25 was like a national holiday on Lower Fayetteville Road as members of St. Mary Magdalene’s Catholic Mission gathered to celebrate the canonical elevation of the mission to the status of a parish in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The new parish also witnessed the installation of its first pastor, Father Daniel J. Fleming, who has been serving the young mission faith community as its administrator.

The celebration began with a special 5 p.m. Mass in the tin barn with Msgr. Paul Reynolds, vicar general of the archdiocese, presiding. Concelebrating the Mass were Father John Walsh, pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Peachtree City, and Father Fleming.

The agenda for the celebration was a full one for the people of St. Mary Magdalene. Following the Mass in the barn, a catered meal was held under candlelit tents on the new parish’s property. A colorful clown appeared with balloon tricks galore for hordes of young ones, a DJ began musical favorites for dancing in the open car-port, and a roaring bonfire welcomed children with hundreds of marshmallows. Popular nighttime hayrides drew young and old alike for a trip through the 40-acre site on Lower Fayetteville Road and State Highway 154.

During the Mass, Msgr. Reynolds congratulated the new parish on behalf of Archbishop John F. Donoghue. Msgr. Reynolds has been actively involved with St. Mary Magdalene since the inception of the mission. He noted that he was amazed at the enthusiasm of what was once the Sharpsburg mission only three or four years ago.

Father Walsh, pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Peachtree City, spoke of the mission’s early days when it began as a mission of Holy Trinity, meeting in Thomas Crossroads Elementary School cafeteria. He too noted the enthusiasm of the community and its rapid growth in Coweta County. Holy Trinity Deacon Don Kelsey, now a deacon of St. Mary Magdalene, was cited for his major contributions to the growth of the new parish.