Knights of Columbus

Thank you to Archbishop Hartmayer for visiting the Catholic Center to help us bid farewell to Fr. Frank, Fr. Casey and our beloved Friars. Thank you as well to Fr. Bob Menard and Fr. Paul Moreau for joining us. We are grateful for their prayers and support.

Join us for our "Friars-Farewell" drive-by on June 27 from 6:30-8:00 PM!

June 3, 2020 Pope Francis, General Audience, Rome Dear brothers and sisters in the United States, I have witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unre...st in your nation in these past days, following the tragic death of Mr George Floyd. My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life. At the same time, we have to recognize that the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost. Today I join the Church in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and in the entire United States, in praying for the repose of the soul of George Floyd and of all those others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism. Let us pray for the consolation of their grieving families and friends and let us implore the national reconciliation and peace for which we yearn. May Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America, intercede for all those who work for peace and justice in your land and throughout the world. May God bless all of you and your families.

Join us for a farewell drive-by parade as we bid a very fond farewell to Sr. Barbara, Sr. Marietta, and Sr. Margarita on June 7, 2020 from 5-6:30PM !

Knights, please read the details for reopening of Mass

LORD Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you all my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, for all the intentions of your Sacred Hea...rt, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the intentions of all the faithful of the Archdiocese of Atlanta and our priests, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father See more

As a part of the Knights of Columbus Community Program of Leaving No Neighbor Behind, our Knights spent their Saturday building a wheelchair ramp for one of our elderly Parishioners. If this kind of service for others appeals to you, please consider joining the Knights of Columbus.

Even in the face of a Covid 19 pandemic Deacon William P Lakin Council 6514 provides continual financial support to local charities. It is my hope that each of these wonderful charitable organizations will call our Knights to provide hands on charitable help this year.

As we begin to reopen, I encourage all Knights to learn the Archdiocese plan.

An Update from the Archdiocese of Atlanta-Dispensation extended through August 30, 2020. Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer has extended the dispensation from the ...obligation to attend Mass through Sunday, August 30. Those who are healthy, willing and able to comply with safety protocols and who wish to attend are encouraged to do so. Those who are at high-risk of complications from COVID-19 or who are caretakers for the vulnerable are encouraged to participate in an online or televised liturgy. See more

Fr. Frank's Homily Love you all. Thank you for your giftedness, your support and your Franciscan spirit! Will never forget you. Love Fr. Frank... We can never underestimate the joy of hospitality/ welcome and the power generosity and gratefulness play into our lives. The couple who made the prophet Elisha welcome under their roof were rewarded with the gift of a son. It is an indication of how precious hospitality is in the eyes of God. The Gospel reminds us that all small ways of giving and caring which we avail of, even a trivial act of kindness, like the giving of a cup of water to a stranger on our doorstep, will win God’s favor and result in a great blessing. Throughout the bible, generosity and hospitality are the highest forms of living one’s faith. Today, Jesus speaks of generosity of heart and compassion of spirit that is prophetic, a sign to all the world that God is in our midst. To receive the prophet’s reward is to seek out every opportunity, to use every talent with which we have been blessed, to devote every resource at our disposal to make the love of God a living reality in every life we touch. The Gospel cup of water can be every kindness we offer. When given in the spirit of God’s compassion and mercy it becomes a prophetic act of God’s presence in our midst. Our commitment of belonging, a community of faith, should never see strangers, only brothers and sisters. Christ comes to our doors in many disguises and rarely is recognizable. If we have not cracked open the hard shell of indifference to others, we run the risk of letting slip many opportunities for being community. Following Christ involves putting his way of life into practice. In the Christian community this means everyone should feel welcome and there should be no strangers or outcasts among us. You, my dear friends, need not worry, you have excelled at generosity and hospitality and in many ways showed us friars how to live it. On January 3rd at 9:41 am our world changed here at the Catholic Center. It is one of the moments I will never forget when the phone call came from the provincial saying we were withdrawing from Athens. There was shock, anger, disappointment, did I say anger and many tears. The unknown became evident for the community and for Casey and myself; uncertainty and anxiety set in. In the past six months, you have told us and shown us how much the friars have meant to you and our leaving here does not diminish that in the least. You are a very hospitable and generous community. The outreach you do here: Oasis, Our Daily Bread, the nurses clinic, Georgia conflict center, Camp Kesum, Franklyn fridge, Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition, Family focus, prison ministry, Lioba’s school in Tanzania, your overwhelming generosity toward the student ministry here at the Catholic Center, the list can go on and onThe readings are perfect for this day for they speak about you. As friars, we have been blessed by you. So, on behalf of Frs. Conan, Joe, Steve, Jack, Tom, David, John, Scott, Bill, Casey, myself and all the other friars who have gone before us, thank you. And LouisThe spirit of the friars who have ministered here throughout the years is foundational for this community and will continue to be present in the Franciscan charism you live out in your daily lives long after we are gone. It is difficult saying goodbye to over 62 years of serving here as members of Holy Name Province with you and for you. We have been so much a part of your livesthrough the stress and uncertainty of freshman year, Through the loves and losses of sophomore and junior and the triumph of graduation, through the welcoming of baptism, to the joy of communion and the commissioning of confirmation, the healing presence of reconciliation and anointing, the commitment of marriage and to the sad reality of death as we have said good bye to loved ones. We have become and are so much a part of the ritual of your lives. We have been blessed to be here with you. So it is with great heartache and a deep sadness that we have come to this day. Joyce Rupp reflected on the original meaning of the word goodbye. She states that, the word goodbye originally meant God-be-with-ye. There is a recognition here that God was a significant part of the going. There is a recognition on both sides that time for parting has arrived and no one can stop the process. Therefore, goodbye is the proclamation in the belief that when we part, God is with us. But we sometimes do everything we can to avoid goodbyes. The pandemic has aided this in many ways. The transition team in place had most of their plans cancelled because of all that has happened these past few months. I would like to thank them for their enthusiasm and commitment. It was empowering sitting with the bishops in March and reviewing the document compiled by this amazing group of people. It made such an impact in the process. It wasn’t the friars speaking, it was each one of you. It was a blessed encounter. The Covid pandemic put a lot of plans on hold and we say farewell while maintaining social distancingfor me this is proving very difficult. I miss the connection and the power of the human touch. This has been taken away from us. I know we have had six months to prepare for this weekend but it still doesn’t take away the sting. Like Elisha in our reading, one of the most bittersweet joys of ministry is being part of a family, a community, where people enter our lives and we say hello and embrace them, and then they move on. We bid them God’s speed and farewell. That is what our friar ministry is: hellos and goodbyes again and again and again. We need to take time to pause and give ourselves time to remember, to give thanks and then move forward. Life continues to give us new opportunities, new ways of connecting with each other, new and exciting ways of living our faith. We need to be open to the possibilities of growth that are never easy but necessary. I know you will welcome Fr Fred and Fr Brian with open arms and please allow them to make mistakes. Compare them only to what they do and who they are, not to the friars who have been here in the past. They are unique and amazing priests who will embrace this community fully. Please see them and treat them for who they areministers of God’s word and action. They are excited about coming here and I believe the Archdiocese made excellent choices and they will be a blessing for this community. This never makes saying good-bye any easier. You are imprinted on our hearts and we take you with us to next assignments. We have been blessed, as Elisha had been blessed, by hospitality and generosity not just to us friars, but to the whole community surrounding the Catholic center. If we have made mistakes, and we have made many, please forgive us and know nothing was done out of malice but out of care and concern for this your community. Pope Francis said, We have to learn to see life by seeing the horizons, not the walls that can make people afraid because they don’t know what is on the other sideYou grow by encountering and by taking your leaveIf you don’t learn to say goodbye well, you will never learn how to encounter new peopleThis moment of change in life is a challengebut in life we have to get used to this journey of leaving something behind and encountering something new. Instead of framing the future with terms like fear or afraid, try using the word ‘challenge’ moreYou can begin to change the world with an open heartby listening to others, welcoming others and sharing. So I say, bless you, bless you, bless you, for you have been nothing but a blessing to us for 62 years. Thank you for loving, challenging, encouraging, and nurturing us. Thank you for always calling us out to serve with you and be used by God in building a kingdom of peace, of hospitality, of generosity and gratefulness here in the Athens community. May God would continue to pour His favor upon you We love you and we will never forget you.

Fr. Casey you have been a blessing to us. And Go Dawgs!

We will miss our Friars