St. Bernadette parishoners gathered for their first mass on a new site.
A tabernacle was erected for temporary purposes, but members and leaders at St. Bernadette Catholic Church hope for a new temple to worship in as a new campaign to bring a new building to life gets underway
The parishioners of St. Bernadette Catholic Church gathered to celebrate an outdoor Mass on their property on Evergreen Lane on Sunday, the first time the church has come together for worship on the site despite cold weather over the weekend.
“It was a very significant moment for the parish because it was the very first Mass ever celebrated on the land where the plan to build a new parish center,” said Father Timothy Gallagher.
He preached in both English and Spanish saying that he hopes that it is the first of many more Masses once construction is complete.
Gallagher spoke of the significance of the moment since it came on the last day of the Liturgical Year when Catholics throughout the world celebrated the Feast day of Jesus Christ King of the Universe, a time to anticipate the Second Coming of Jesus.
It also marked the close of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, a year proclaimed by Pope Francis to focus on mercy of the Heavenly Father as described by Jesus in Luke 6:36. Father Gallagher spoke of how merciful the Heavenly Father has been to our parish and chosen us for this historical moment. He spoke of the significance of Thanksgiving that would be celebrated in a few days and the hopes that it would be a time of unity in our country.
He recalled the first Thanksgiving when the first immigrants to this land from Europe were welcomed by the Native Americans, and despite language and cultural barriers, they recognized their shared humanity and so sat down and shared a meal together and gave thanks to God.
After the Mass the parishioners gathered for a communal meal of traditional Latino and American food.
Plans for the new facility to house St. Bernadette are up for a decision in the coming weeks by the Cedartown City Commission.