|
St.
Mary Magdalene Mission elevated to status of parish
This Saturday, Oct.
25, will mark a milestone for the young congregation of St. Mary Magdalene
Catholic Mission on Lower Fayettevile Road. That day, members will gather
in the mission’s tin barn to celebrate their elevation to the canonical
status of a full parish of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
The upward move for the growing faith community comes after a scant three
years as a mission, an offshoot of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Peachtree
City.
The congregation met first at Thomas Crossroads Elementary School, then
at East Coweta High School and at Cokes Chapel United Methodist Church,
which adjoins the missions 40-acre site at the intersection of Lower Fayetteville
Road and Ga. Hwy. 154 (McCollum-Sharpsburg Road).
To earn the canonical designation as a parish, a congregation must show
a pattern of growth, financial stability, and evidence of a desire for
expansion and the establishing of their role in the community.
The main celebrant of the 5 p.m. Mass in the barn this Saturday will be
Msgr. Paul Reynolds, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Reynolds
has had close personal ties to the mission since its earliest days.
Father Dan Fleming, administrator of the mission, said he was delighted
with the new canonical status, the naming of St. Mary Magdalene as a parish.
“We are a very young community to obtain this recognition,”
he said. “But, I am not surprised, based on the outstanding enthusiasm
of the people and the tremendous amount of growth and expansion we continue
to experience. It’s an extremely vibrant group.”
As part of the ceremony, Fleming will be officially installed as the first
pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church.
Also presiding at the celebration will be Father John Walsh, pastor of
Holy Trinity.
Members of the mission family will attend a special outdoor reception
after the Mass, to be held in large tents which will be erected outside
the barn.
St. Mary Magdalene’s Masses currently are celebrated at East Coweta
High School, 5 p.m. on Saturday evening and 10 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Back to News Home Page |
Back
to the top of the page
|
