You’ve heard the expression “I wasn’t born in the South, but I got here as fast as I could…” Well in the Catholic world, this saying may no longer apply only to people. Friend of the Chicks (FOC) Fr. David Dye, the pastor at Mary Our Queen Catholic Church in Norcross, GA has been doing some cutting edge Catholic thinking lately. His idea – to move an entire church building from Buffalo to the Atlanta area – is getting the attention of Catholics and non-Catholics who are interested in preservation, history, and the vibrancy of the Church in the United States. A beautiful church structure that no longer houses a thriving Buffalo congregation may get new life in the South, where the Archdiocese of Atlanta is growing by leaps and bounds.
There is much grim news about the health of Catholic parishes north of the Mason-Dixon line. An aging population, poorly catechized parishioners, and young adults who are lured away by emotionally charged experiences in non-denominational mega-churches have left Catholic congregations ravaged in many areas. But the St. Gerard project that Fr. Dye is spearheading may begin an important trend. Perhaps these beautiful church structures, which in the past have blessed thousands of the faithful, can continue to be used as originally intended. Above the portals of St. Gerard’s is the latin inscription “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit” followed by “Here is the House of God and the Gate of Heaven.” By the grace of God, we in the South will be blessed to worship in this beautiful house of the Lord.
To learn more about the St. Gerard church move, visit Moved by Grace and follow the project as it gains momentum. You might find it interesting, as I do, that a priest from a church named Mary Our Queen was led to St. Gerard’s which contains an impressive painting of Mary, Queen of Heaven as the centerpiece of its beautiful interior art. In addition, it just so happens that the physical structure of St. Gerard’s is eerily similar to the architectural renderings of the proposed church for the Norcross congregation, drawings done years ago before anyone ever thought to move an entire church from one part of the country to another.
Mere coincidences? I think not.
Chick B
Harold Crews
2 years ago
This is one heck of a good idea. I hate the thought of Catholic Churches, where the Eurcharist has been celebrated for generations, being used for secular or even profane purposes. Some in Europe have been turned into mosques even and others into night clubs. It will also counter the trend towards ‘modern’ church architecture. For goodness sake there is nothing so outdated as modern architecture.