Unique History Celebrated At Tyrone Church

PRISCILLA GREEAR, Staff Writer

Published: October 21, 2004

TYRONE—With a Mass and outdoor dinner Oct. 9, St. Matthew’s Church celebrated its 25 years of history, which began in a converted funeral parlor but later moved into a new building and hometown and added a sister school. Today the parish community continues its outreach into the developing region of Fayetteville, Peachtree City and Newnan.

The church was relocated in 2000 from Fairburn to a more prime spot in Tyrone, at 215 Kirkley Road, where Our Lady of Victory School was built on the same property in 1999. St. Matthew’s has nearly doubled in size to about 660 families since then. It is located in Fayette County, which is about 25 miles south of Atlanta and grew from 62,000 to 91,000 from 1990-2000. The elementary school, built for 250, expanded to accommodate 274 students this year, 92 percent of whom are Catholic, and 91 percent of whose families belong to the parish.

The community has a lovely church in which to welcome newcomers and to ponder the many faces of St. Matthew. The vestibule has large windows and tile floors, and a pastiche of images painted by local artists of the church’s patron saint, including a traditional oil painting of St. Matthew conversing with an angel, painted by LaSalette Brother Donald Wininski, a teacher from Connecticut. He modeled it after Renaissance artist Guido Reni’s painting. Another piece of art features a wire figure of St. Matthew. The most recently completed one, painted by parishioner Linda McCarrey, is a mixed media, abstract depiction of the disciple, with blocks of red and gold beads. Father Victor Galier, the pastor, admired the original painting when he arrived at the parish three years ago and decided to find another artist each year to paint a new version of the martyred saint—giving each one free reign. He wanted to carry on the church’s great tradition of supporting local artists, including those struggling to make a living, and to draw upon the gifts in the congregation. He spotted artist number five, who is creating a more realistic version of the saint, while viewing his work at a midtown Atlanta restaurant. And the images may provide a source of inspiration for others to live holy lives.

“I love the arts and to support them and I think it’s nice when parishes hire local artists to do things and don’t buy mass-produced art,” he said. “When a work is done by a local artist that will give something unique to the parish.”

He also noted wooden candlesticks made by John Vaughn who died the day after making them.

“Every time we use them it feels like we’re still in touch with the living and deceased of the community,” said Father Galier.

The worship space, decorated with arrangements of white, red and blue roses, also has hunter green carpet, sage green pew cushions and cream walls. The marble altar space is surrounded by a large Gothic window revealing nature, and before it hangs Christ on a wooden cross.

Deacon Jean Moenk, 87, and his wife, Rita, 80, came back to the beloved parish for the event with their daughter. They were members of the parish from 1996-2003 after Deacon Moenk, who helped found the mission, was transferred there from Blessed Sacrament as deacon emeritus. Mrs. Moenk experienced joy in “coming home” to a place in which they were known and loved.

“It’s wonderful to be able to be here with all our friends, to see them all. We live on a farm. It’s really special to me because I spend all my time with this new wheelchair or a walker because I can’t get around very well,” said Mrs. Moenk, as a parishioner kissed her on the forehead and said, “We miss you so much.”

The Mass was celebrated by Father Galier and concelebrated by former pastors Father James Caffery, MS, and Father Frederick Flaherty, MS. Liturgical dancers in red leotards and flowing skirts from Our Lady of Lourdes Church moved rhythmically as they carried bowls of incense through the aisles. And Kathy Matthews contributed to the celebratory spirit as she both joined the church, after attending RCIA for four years, and she and her husband, Mark, had their marriage convalidated.

During his homily Father Galier, the first diocesan pastor at the parish formerly run by the Missionaries of LaSalette, acknowledged the dedication of pioneer members who led the parish through the early years. He also challenged them to reach out to the many Catholics in the area who are not coming to church, as well as those in need.

“Are there not more Catholics in this area?…We all get to the altar in different ways. We all take our own path,” he said. “Some are touched by the faith this community has and share that in ways we don’t know and others decide this is where my spiritual home is. Some have come and gone, some have stayed.”

He encouraged them to be “a thousand points of light” to bring to the larger community. During October the church is holding a food drive as part of its anniversary celebration. The drive will help supply the parish food bank that feeds the poor within the community.

“We are called by that light and love to the rest of the world. We come here and are strengthened,” he said. “This parish where we are, the future will be what we make it, what I make it, what you make it. With grateful hearts, guided by the Holy Spirit and the power of Jesus Christ, we will go out and preach the good news of Jesus Christ!”

He later asked the congregation, “Do we have any birthdays or anniversaries or milestones to celebrate?” After several reported events like a parents’ 15th wedding anniversary and a wife’s 35th birthday, one little girl with a long braid with a red bow responded, “Yes, it’s the church’s anniversary!”

Father Galier also blessed the artwork. And, as carrillon bells were recently installed, he asked God to call people to worship through them after which they faintly sounded.

Afterward members dined by candle and torchlights under white tents as the sun set. White lights were strung through the trees and each table setting had a prayer card reading: “It will be a parish family of loyalty and love, of fearlessness and faith, and a parish with a noble spirit, if I—who make it what it is—am filled with these same qualities. Therefore, with the help of God, I will dedicate myself to the task of being all the things that I want my parish family to be.”

Over his clerics Father Galier donned a loose shirt in red, St. Matthew’s color, that he picked up on a trip this year to South Africa as he greeted attendees. Nine-year parish secretary Rennie Todd noted that the parish is united in its diversity and has members from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, and from countries as diverse as the Philippines, India and Latin American and Caribbean nations.

Planning for the St. Matthew Mission of Blessed Sacrament Parish began in early 1978 with the purchase of the former Bishop-Poe Funeral Home in Fairburn. On June 4, 1978, Archbishop Thomas Donnellan formally established the mission in Fairburn to serve the southern half of Blessed Sacrament Parish. Father James Noonan, MS, continued as pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish and St. Matthew’s Mission, with Father Joseph Baxer, MS, as associate pastor. The former funeral home chapel served as the worship area for the new mission while the remainder of the building was converted to classrooms for religious education, parish offices and a four-room apartment. After growing to about 300 people in the mid-‘80s, in May 1990 the archdiocese gave permission and approved a loan to St. Matthew’s for the construction of a multi-purpose building to serve the needs of the expanding parish. The new center included classrooms for religious education and a large hall for social activities and expanded liturgical functions. The building was dedicated in 1992 in memory of Thomas J. McHugh Jr. who died while serving as the building chairman.

In 1997 the archdiocese began a capital campaign that raised funds to seed projects around the archdiocese, including part of the cost to construct an elementary school and high school south of the city. At the same time, the archdiocese then decided to move St. Matthew’s closer to the growing area of Fayetteville, Peachtree City and Newnan, both to strengthen the parish and better serve the area. The archdiocese purchased 30 acres of land on Kirkley Road off of Highway 74 in Tyrone to serve as the location of both Our Lady of Victory School and the parish. The last Mass was celebrated at the Fairburn church in August 1998 and until completion of the new facility the parish leased facilities at Abundant Life Church of God near the new site. The parish celebrated Mass at the new school in 1999 until the church was completed in October 2000.

Founding member Gayle Peters, a former Army archivist and now the director of religious education, recalled the early days in the funeral parlor.

“We used the embalming room for the kitchen and turned the hearse garage in the basement into a CCD classroom…We tried not to think about it especially when we went into the kitchen,” he said.

Sitting by a maple tree with a touch of red while finishing his supper, he reflected on the central place of the church in their lives.

“They’ve helped us celebrate events in our lives. Our daughter got married here, confirmations, weddings, christenings.”

He said that membership numbers have ebbed and flowed and noted the challenge of keeping the intimacy as the parish grows.

“We always had the blessing of having a small parish for years. We didn’t make 300 families and knew everybody,” he continued. “Only in three years here we really started to grow. The heart of the challenge for us as a parish is to maintain the values we treasure.”

Added his wife, Sally, “This has been our extended family. A lot of people here helped us raise our kids because grandparents and uncles were not available.”

They are grateful that in religious education they have 60 volunteers to help. Mrs. Peters recently began directing the adult education program, which includes a program exploring the catechism and a women’s formation program.

“I’d love to be able to expand it and have new people in the parish take advantage,” she said.

At another table, Mexico native Carmen Griffith and her husband, David, spoke about their involvement with the parish’s new English as a second language program, whose first class drew 13. They also plan to attend the Spanish Mass that just began. Across that table was another Mexico native Dora Chavez, who wore a bold gold Our Lady of Guadalupe medallion necklace to complement her red suit. She lived in Texas for 10 years but is becoming more serious about studying English now that she’s moved to Georgia, where fewer people know Spanish.

“When my children are in religious education, I’m going to study English.”

Richard and Ida Tse moved to the area from Myrtle Beach, S.C. They appreciate knowing they can turn to the church for support if needed.

“Everybody is very open, very friendly; everybody is also willing to go out of their way to help,” Mrs. Tse said. “They told us, if you need anything they’d help us. I had a baby (by) Caesarean. Some of them would come and take me to the doctor. It makes it easy to help other people because you want to give back as much as you can.”

Matthews, who joined the church during the Mass, said she had become interested in the faith after her niece and nephew received first Communion, and decided that she would join the one that traced its ancestry back to the apostles.

“I love it!” said Matthews. She’s grown closer to her husband “through the whole journey from the decision up until now. I’m sure with this blessing upon us now our ministry will continue to be more and more.”

Father Galier said later that the church has a goal of focusing on stewardship and expanding its social justice ministry, by more service to the poor and creating systems to help them. This year they’re concentrating on hunger relief.

The priest joked that the only reason for the growth is “me.” But in addition, “there’s a lot of growth in the area. It’s kind of yielded it. People want to be associated with a parish that is growing and dynamic. It’s not just the church, but the people who make up the church. People are really attracted to the family atmosphere and we try to achieve that … I attribute it a lot to people’s response to the call to conversion, which attracts other people, and which is continually calling them to better themselves and their lives,” he said. “People, they need that kind of support a parish can provide to help them grow spiritually.”