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The Forming of a Catholic Faith Community ...
The Archdiocese of Atlanta directed the formation of the “Sharpsburg Mission” -- as it was originally known -- to be a mission under the guidance of Fr. John Walsh, the pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church out of Peachtree City. Assisted by Deacon Don Kelsey and Deacon Ben Gross, the first Mass of this newly formed community was celebrated by Fr. Walsh on September 26, 1999 at Thomas Crossroads Elementary School. There were 218 people representing 62 families in attendance. That day, something extraordinary happened in an ordinary place. We became a faith community in a school cafeteria. Our coming together was marked by an atmosphere of openness, warmth and a celebration of our faith.
In the fall of 1999, The Archdiocese of Atlanta acquired a 40-acre tract of land on Lower Fayetteville Road in Sharpsburg. The eventual plans for this property and for the Catholic community in Sharpsburg included a worship space, parish hall and an education building. On February 15, 2000, we took a step toward independence when the Mission Advisory Board was established and held its first meeting. This board was to be a visionary body to promote the spiritual growth of the mission community.
The first Administrator of the Mission, Father Joseph Morris, was appointed on June 16, 2000. With notification of his appointment, the house on the mission property was renovated through the loving efforts of many of the first parishioners in anticipation of his arrival. Before long, plans were set in motion to renovate the lower level of the mission house to accommodate much needed office space and a Day Chapel. The drawing up of plans and the transformation of the raw basement were accomplished through hundreds of hours of volunteer work by many professional trades and eager volunteers from within the community anxious to make a more permanent facility for their continually growing faith community.
It didn't take long for us to outgrow the cafeteria at Thomas Crossroads. On August 6, 2000 we moved our Sunday Mass to East Coweta High School and instituted a Saturday Vigil Mass at Cokes United Methodist Chapel – our hospitable neighbors immediately to the east. The timing of this transition coincided with the start-up of our Parish Religious Education Program (PREP), which began on September 10, 2000. Initially, the program encompassed grades K through 8 and the Rite of Catholic Initiation for both adults and children. Classes were held at East Coweta High School each week following the Sunday Mass.
December 25, 2000 was a landmark occasion for the Sharpsburg Catholic Mission. The Archdiocese of Atlanta officially named our faith community Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Mission. This name, taken for “the Apostle to the Apostles”, considered to be so aptly fitting a community which strives to further the Gospel message in all that we do.
Inspired by our patron saint, our growth has provided us with wonderful opportunities to expand our ministries. Our local council of the Knights of Columbus was chartered on February 12, 2001 with 44 men of the mission. The Women’s Guild was organized on May 7, 2001. The list of ministries has continued to grow as we reach out to each other and to so many in the surrounding area to meet so many needs.
Months later, we rang in the new year of 2002 with a new administrator. Father Dan Fleming became our spiritual leader on January 31, 2002. With his leadership, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we have continued to grow and prosper. New ministries have been added, sometimes on a monthly basis, in order to meet the evolving needs of the people of Saint Mary Magdalene. There were 32 ministries represented at the 2003 Ministry Fair.
Our continued expansion has been a blessing. By September of 2003 we had grown to nearly 400 families. We outgrew Cokes United Methodist Chapel and moved our Saturday Vigil Mass to East Coweta High School.
Another blessed moment came on October 25, 2003 when our parish was elevated in status from a mission to an official parish of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. From that day on, we were officially named “Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Church” and Father Dan Fleming officially became our first pastor. This recognition and designation came about because of the efforts of the many leaders and volunteers within the community who work tirelessly to further the Kingdom of God here in Sharpsburg, Georgia.
Our parish continues to grow in numbers and scope. A Capital Campaign was officially begun in early 2004, after an in depth period of needs analysis and much prayerful consideration regarding our future. On an ongoing basis, we have been blessed to be successful in our community building efforts and in developing plans for our new church building. Construction of our new 17,500 square foot facility began in December of 2005. With much anticipation, along with continued prayer, we now look to celebrating our move to our new worship space, parish offices and religious education classrooms sometime (a date soon to be announced) in the near future.
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