Have Beautiful Plants All Summer Long, and support a good cause! Leave behind the hassle of garden centers and planting—shop the St. Mary Magdalene Council of Catholic Women’s Spring Plant Fundraiser!Orders will be taken through March 26, 2020. Plant pick up day is April 18, between 9-11 am.
As directed by Bishop Konzen, Administrator of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, in an effort to stem the spread of disease, all parishes in the Archdiocese, including St. Mary Magdalene, will be suspending all public Masses, Communion Services, Stations of the Cross, Adoration, Bible Studies, Faith Formation, Preschool, and all other meetings at our Parish facility until further notice.
Confessions are available individually by appointment.
The Church will be open for individual prayer on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30am – 3pm and Thursdays from 9:30am to 7pm. The Blessed Sacrament will be present in the tabernacle, but will not be Exposed in the monstrance.
Parish Office hours will be 9:30am to 3pm, Tuesday thru Friday (closed on Monday).
As we will not be taking a collection at Masses on the weekends, but we still have expenses each week, please consider sending your donation to us through Online Giving, bank bill pay, or by mail. You can find a link to online giving on our website at www.smmcatholic.org.
For the most up to date information on the Corona Virus and its effects on the diocese, please go to the Archdiocese of Atlanta website at https://archatl.com/covid-19/
In the words of Bishop Konzen, “We can still unite in prayer. We can still care for our neighbors. We are still the Body of Christ. We are challenged to find non-traditional ways to connect with one another. It is a sacrifice, for sure, for all of us to alter our participation in the Eucharist, a sacrifice as unwelcome as it is new. Still, we understand that it is, for the time being, a cross we bear in a spirit of self-denial, an emptying of ourselves in imitation of Our Lord’s privation as He faced His Passion. We know that we can hope in the Resurrection. Let us bring that hope to our neighbors and our communities through our sacrifice, our service, and our prayer.”
Bishop Konzen has granted all Catholics in the Arch. of Atlanta a dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass for March 14-15, 21-22, and 29-30.
Bishop Konzen, the Administrator for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, has sent this instruction to all the parishes:
“Given the ongoing concern over COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, we have decided to suspend distribution of the Precious Blood for the time being. We feel we would eventually have to take this action and hope that taking it early will allay any fears people have now and demonstrate our concern for the health and safety of our congregations.”
St. Mary Magdalene has implemented this directive effective March 2, 2020.
Be assured that Christ is truly present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, completely within either species (the Host or the Precious Blood) or even a tiny particle of the same. We have low-gluten hosts which we consecrate for those with wheat allergies, but if you have a serious allergy, such as celiac disease, which prevents you from consuming any gluten at all, we can make arrangements for you. In either case, please speak to the sacristan after Mass so we can make preparations for you.
“The Wild Goose: Discovering a Deeper Relationship with the Holy Spirit” is the first study. From the comfort of your homes and neighborhoods gather with other Catholics for 90 minutes per session to grow in faith and community. Each segment has a 22 – 30 minute video with discussion to follow.
In 2017 Father Terry said he wanted a mural to be painted on the wall above the glass doors in the narthex. He described a scene with an open tomb, the stone rolled away, and the resurrected Jesus telling Mary Magdalene, “Do not touch me, as I have not gone to the Father.” I said I could paint the scene, but asked how I was going to get up to the wall? Father Terry said to let him worry about that.
Work started with the shape of the mural and figures, which were designed to fit the style of the church. Several small-scale drawings were made. As the first drawings of the mural progressed, Father Terry suggested some details: a few of the apostles, the city of Jerusalem, and Golgotha with the three crosses. The internet has a wealth of information, including pictures that show how other artists have interpreted this scene, but the church needed its own interpretation.
Beginning in May of 2017, the shape of the mural reflected the arched shape of the windows. It was later changed into a dome shape, and by October, the mural took the shape of the San Damiano cross found above the altar. The size and shape of the mural and the size of the figures of Jesus and Mary Magdalene were calculated using church blueprints of the wall.
The design was ready, but the wall was not. The plaster cracks needed repairing, and the wall needed priming, as it had not been repainted since the church was built. After research and sketching preliminary drawings, a small-scale chalk sketch of the mural with the poses of the two figures was drawn in February of 2017. With a few adjustments for perspective and to avoid the chandelier blocking the view from the ground, in May of 2018, Johnny Holloway taped off the mural shape of the San Damiano cross. He repaired the cracks in the plaster and primed the wall in the shape of the cross using four background colors. Father Terry rented a lift and harness. Painting was underway.
Research continued even though drawing and painting had begun. Additional information about the time of Jesus helped with the design and painting of the appropriate plants and flowers, birds, clothing, old Jerusalem, Golgotha, the Mount of Olives, gardens with tombs, the topography and soil of Israel, the size and shape of the shroud of Turin, and the sky at dawn.
The decision regarding the faces and poses of Mary Magdalene and Jesus were the most difficult. An acquaintance who had posed for a past project matched the direction of the pose for Jesus. But he had passed, and I couldn’t talk to him about the project. His face became the model for the face of Jesus. He was a carpenter. The first choice for the face of Mary Magdalene was a doctor at Emory Hospital in Atlanta. But plans changed when we found a random photo of a woman with a startled expression and the right pose of hands. Eventually, the original face won out, but the hands stayed. Two other people agreed to be models for the drawing of the bodies of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Jesus is clothed in a replica of the Shroud of Turin. A soft cloth the size and shape as the shroud was given to the model for Jesus, with the directions, “How would a man put on this cloth?”
The final small-scale figures of Mary Magdalene and Jesus where drawn, and in June of 2018, they were projected onto five feet by five feet sheets of cloth donated by Linda Porter. Using the big glass doors of the narthex with the sun shining through, the cloth was turned over and the figures were traced with chalk, on the back of the large squares. After Vince Antonich gave several lessons on how to go up and down in the lift, Vince drove it into place and the painting could finally begin. The cloth was flipped to the front side, taped to the wall, and the figures were traced again. The chalk on the back side of the cloth transferred the drawings to the wall. Adjustments were needed for perspective, figures were redrawn, and painting on the wall started in July of 2018.
The figure of Mary Magdalene was painted first with the random face. Then the morning sky and the dove representing the Holy Spirit were painted. The shape of the Holy Spirit needed to be something unique to Mary Magdalene Church. The dove shape was found in an unusual place. The shape of a dove had formed in the moisture inside the ached double paned glass above the doors at the entrance to the church. The shape was not only unique but was also a part of Mary Magdalene.
The outer shape of the mural evolved out of necessity. The San Damiano cross shape came too close to the head of Jesus. Father Terry solved the problem. He suggested a Greek cross shape and drew the adjustment to the San Damiano cross. That became the final shape of the mural.
Once the sky, Holy Spirit, and Mary Magdalene had been painted, it was time to add many of the background details, including the wall around Joseph of Arimathea’s garden and appropriate vegetation. Also, the face of Mary Magdalene was changed back to the original model. Bit by bit the mural progressed. In September of 2018, Golgotha, the tomb, and the old city of Jerusalem were painted. As research continued and new information came in, Jerusalem was repainted several times. Also painting of the face and figure of Jesus began.
Parishioners and visitors coming and going through the church gave advice, suggestions, opinions, observations, ideas, and help with decisions. Their input was greatly appreciated and helped determine many aspects of the mural. For example, when a balance of color to compliment the large area of blue sky was needed, Kathy Kelly Huey suggested a spring of water, because Jesus is the water of life. This addition balanced the color and fit with the narrative of the earthquake that rolled back the stone. The earthquake started a spring of water from the rock wall behind the figure of Jesus. Mayra Marchand printed out the scriptures with references of the scene as told in the books of the Bible. The poses of the apostles Peter, James, and John coming out of the Mount of Olives were made possible because a visitor to the church agreed to run across the narthex. David Smith, who had been to the Holy Land, gave input for the shape of Golgotha, the acacia trees, and printed out pictures of the plants from the time of Jesus.
The trees on the mural were growing in Jesus’s time: frankincense, myrrh, apricot, acacia, date palm, olive, and citron. They are blooming to represent the time of year, Spring, as are the iris, day lilies, cornflower, and flax. The ripe wheat and grapes symbolize the Eucharist. The bright white clouds at the top of the mural represent God the Father with rays of light pouring God’s grace down on Jesus. The Holy Spirit completes the Trinity.
The border for the mural was started in November of 2018. The color of the border was painted to match the color of the windows and door frames found in the church. Final corrections and the addition of little birds and flowers were made in December. Vince painted the wall surrounding the mural with a color to compliment the colors of the mural. Vince gave great advice, many ideas, and without his help driving the lift, the mural would not have been completed. While the actual painting took six months, the research, ideas, composition, drawings, painting, and border took about 18 months. I am honored that Father Terry asked me to paint his vision of a mural for Mary Magdalene Church. I have thoroughly enjoyed painting it. Thank you to Father Terry and Vince, and all the people who listened and gave advice. I couldn’t have done it without you.
When a natural disaster occurs in the United States electronic donations may be directed to Catholic Charities USA. They and their member agencies respond to immediate emergency needs for such necessities as water, food, shelter and medical care, as well as to the long-term need to rebuild and recover after widespread destruction. They also assist the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops with pastoral and reconstruction needs of the Church. Their address information follows:
When a disaster happens in another country, such as the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, collections and individual donations should be directed to Catholic Relief Services (CRS):
Father Terry and Deacon Steve Swope spoke at the Masses the weekend of September 1 and 2 about the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Findings. Here are the audio recordings:
Deacon Steve Swope
Father Terry Crone
Here is his written statement:
As you know, a couple of weeks ago the news broke that over 300 priests in the 8 dioceses of Pennsylvania were named as pedophiles by at least 1000 persons, spanning a time period of 70 years. The most upsetting, to me, aspect of this case, is that the bishops, then and now, did not call them to task for their crimes, and, in some cases, those priests are still serving in parishes around children and vulnerable adults.
First and foremost, my heart goes out to those individuals and families devastated by this offense against the moral and civil laws. I pray that they can find healing from within the Church, and in spite of the Church from friends and professional counselors. There is no good reason to keep the offenders working in parishes where they can do more harm.
Secondly, these priests have provoked anger and resentment in the rest of us who, while still sinners, are shocked and concerned that the public will paint all of us with the same brush. All have fallen short of the glory of God, but for most of us, our sins have not caused so much trauma and scandal in the Church.
The Jewish scripture scholar, Abraham Heschel, said that the message of the prophet is, “Few may be guilty, but all are responsible.” As a priest standing before you among the brotherhood of priests, I tell you, “I am sorry.” I am sorry that these sins and crimes have occurred, and I am sorry that those directly responsible have not been taken to task for their actions.
Thirdly, I am also sorry that all of us have to revisit these tragedies after 16 years of knowing about them. The scandal out of Boston in 2002 forced the bishops to start moving in the right direction to implement policies designed for the protection of our people, but it appears that those same bishops have not taken ownership of the Church’s sin and pledged to root out the rot within her branches. Scripture says that all that is hidden will come to light. Why are the bishops hiding in the darkness waiting for the press or the criminal courts to come along with a flashlight?
This week I was at the Provincial Assembly of priests in Charleston, SC, and it was attended by all 7 bishops and over 125 priests from Georgia, North and South Carolina. As archbishop, it fell to Archbishop Gregory to address the group and he said, that, although words are important, the time has come and is past that we need actions, not just words. He said that he had written a letter to the Holy Father asking for stricter penalties for perpetrators of the crimes and for the bishops who covered them up. What he did not say is what his plan is to release our own files from Central and North Georgia to the public. This week, I will write to him asking, “Archbishop, when are you going to release the records of suspected criminal activity among our priests and parishes?”
All of us are still disheartened and still furious with the goings on among fallen priests and political bishops, but we cannot lose hope. We are Christians, founded not on good advice, but on the blood of Christ crucified. When Jesus willingly took up the cross and died for our sins, he could see today. He could see the weakness of priest-pedophiles, and the weakness of bishops who turned a blind eye. Even Judas, his betrayer, was not exempt from his sacrifice of love.
Although we may have good reason to turn away from his Church, Christ asks us to remain faithful. In today’s gospel, Christ asks us alongside St. Peter, “Do you also want to leave?” Do not let a few bad actors ruin the blessings of the true Church of Christ. We must have the courage to answer with Peter, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
Truly the time for just words has passed and what is needed now is action. For many of us, it seems that our hands are tied: “What can I do to affect this issue?” Pope Francis has given us part of an answer: Fast and Pray. It may not seem like much, but prayer and fasting can change the world. Prayer and fasting transformed the greatest tragedy, the Crucifixion of the Son of God into the world’s greatest triumph, the power of life over death in his Resurrection.
It seems that few Catholics today know that the directives of the Church still encourage abstaining from meat on every Friday of the year. Although we are allowed to substitute other acts of charity in the place of abstinence, I am asking our parish faithful to avoid eating any meat every Friday and pray for everyone affected: the survivors and their families, the perpetrators, and the bishops who ignored the problem and put more children in danger. I am asking we continue these acts of penance until the bishops in the U.S. turn over their records to the public. This may take a long time, but the spiritual benefits to ourselves and to the world will be immense. Only God can make good things out of evil actions, so let us beg him to transform our world through the sacrifices we make.
