| |||
| New church ‘a vision and a dream’ | |||
| |||
Mary C. Weaver | |||
Sept. 12, 2004
Members of St. Mary Parish in Athens celebrated the dedication of their new worship space Aug. 14.Nearly 17 months after their groundbreaking ceremony, members of St. Mary Parish in Athens celebrated the dedication of their new church Aug. 14—just one day before a major feast of the community’s patron saint: the solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. “Many of you know that the original dedication date was June 26,” said Paul Kessler, head of the building committee, in comments near the end of the dedication Mass. “But what we got is Aug. 14, the eve of the Assumption of Mary. Everything has worked out.” Hundreds of parishioners and friends; Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz; 18 priests, including pastor Father Michael Cummins; two deacons; representatives from Rentenbach Constructors Inc. and Goodstein Architects Inc.; and the Athens and McMinn County mayors were present for the celebration, which began at 10 a.m. Aug. 14 under sunny skies. Two former pastors also participated: Father Joseph Fiedorowicz, who served from 1993 through 2000 and now lives in Brentwood, Calif., and Father David Boettner, under whom the building project began. “What a proud day this is, not just for your parish of St. Mary but also for the entire Diocese of Knoxville,” said Bishop Kurtz, standing before the doors of the new church. “East Tennessee is rejoicing. I’m looking at the beautiful picture of God’s creation, and you’re looking at your beautiful church.” The 11,000-square-foot, $2.1 million church was built on a rolling 16.75-acre site on Madison Avenue, about three miles from the former building on Congress Parkway. After receiving the architectural drawings and keys to the church, as well as the project schedule and a copy of the parish roster, Bishop Kurtz knocked on the front doors with his crosier, symbolically asking that they be opened for the first time. Father Cummins opened the doors, and the procession into the building was led by Deacon David Carter, carrying the paschal candle. Upon entering, the bishop blessed the baptismal font and the water it contained. He and Father Cummins next sprinkled the congregation and walls, and the bishop blessed the altar. Bishop Kurtz then commented on the beauty of the building and said he felt “like a little boy in a candy shop. I didn’t know where to look first.” Following the Liturgy of the Word, seminarian Manuel Peréz brought a relic of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton—the first native-born American citizen to be canonized—to the bishop so that it might be placed in the new altar. That relic will “remind us that not only all of us living and present but also the church triumphant in heaven and the church suffering are joined here as the body of Christ,” said Bishop Kurtz. “You will come to the altar to bring your gifts, and they will be joined to the one sacred sacrifice of Jesus Christ made present in his body and blood in the Holy Eucharist. And you will bring yourselves and your time, your talent, and your treasure.” “As we honor our Blessed Mother and dedicate this church,” he continued, “pay special attention to the altar, for it is the altar that is the center of thanksgiving in our lives.” After the homily, the bishop anointed the altar with chrism, and he and the pastor anointed the walls of the church. Parishioners brought four dedication crosses to the bishop for his blessing, then affixed them to the walls. Bishop Kurtz incensed the altar, and parishioners Mariana Rodriguez and Amanda Gossett carried braziers through the building, incensing the people and the walls. Five women of the parish—Helen Beeman, Olga Burnett, Mary Ann Grant, Mary Ollie Newman, and Jeanine Smith—came to the sanctuary with an altar cloth and dressed the altar. Afterward, candles were brought forward and lit, and the lights in the church were turned on. Following the Liturgy of the Eucharist, Bishop Kurtz carried a ciborium holding consecrated hosts to the new church’s chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, placed the ciborium in the tabernacle, and incensed the Blessed Sacrament. Near the end of the Mass, Father Cummins thanked the many people who helped plan and build the church, including those who were “cleaning up chairs just yesterday.” “This is a beautiful church,” he said. “It is a work of patience—patience and a vision and a dream of this beauty. It began 10 years ago with the vision that St. Mary’s must move in order to grow. “This is indeed the work of the community.”
| |||
|
Back to table of contents |
