Wednesday, October 29, 2003
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Wednesday, October 29, 2003 |
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St. Mary Magdalene Mission elevated to status of parish Last week marked a milestone for the young congregation of St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Mission on Lower Fayettevile Road. Last Saturday, Members gathered 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). The main celebrant of last Saturday’s Mass was 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 was officially installed as the first pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church. Also presiding at the celebration was Father John Walsh, pastor of Holy Trinity. Members of the mission family attended an outdoor reception after the Mass,held in large tents 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.
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