Photo by Andrew Nelson

TOCCOA—After overcoming a series of false starts and unexpected hurdles, the community of St. Mary Church celebrated the dedication of new additions to its campus. 

Dozens of people crowded into the parish life and education center along with Bishop Bernard E. Shlesinger III on Dec. 8 for a day that was decades in the making. 

The building project took many years, but it brought together the long-timers and the newcomers in the church toward a common goal, said Nancy Williamson, who joined the Toccoa parish more than a decade ago.  

“We can come together as one. It means a lot that we can form a better community,” said Williamson. 

Father Henry Thang M. Pham, the pastor, said the celebration was a joy-filled day as the parishioners saw the success of their hard work. 

“It’s a glorious day to celebrate together as a family,” he said to the hundreds of people in the congregation filling the pews.  

His vision is that these facilities can be a spiritual hub where believers can reach out to Stephens County residents to serve those who are vulnerable and in need.  

St. Mary Church’s roots date back 80 years in Stephens County, about 90 miles northeast of Atlanta. It opened its doors to believers as a mission in 1954 and became a parish a decade later. Once the faith community attracted retirees drawn to nearby Lake Hartwell. Young Vietnamese families, many parents working as farmers in the region, now fill the pews.  

Sister Anna Oanh Ng. Nguyen, center, stands with members of the Vietnamese women’s choir. The group is beneath the covered walkway connecting the new parish life center and the religious education building. The community at St. Mary Church, Toccoa, recently dedicated the additions to the campus. Photo by Andrew Nelson

Bishop Shlesinger celebrated the dedication Mass, along with Father Pham and Father Francis Xavier Tuan Q. Tran, pastor of Holy Vietnamese Church, Norcross. Scriptures and songs were offered in English and Vietnamese. 

The vision for the building project started to take shape in the 1990s. It was revived, only to be sidetracked by the COVID pandemic. A contractor died before work could begin. At the same time, the cost of construction material continued to rise.  

Redemption Remodeling LLC was the contractor, and the designer was Post Oak Partners LLC (Ron Hadaway). Catholic Construction Services Inc. of the Archdiocese of Atlanta managed the project. 

Church members Steve Dessauer and Dave Slezickey were instrumental in pushing the project to completion.  

Slezickey said the parishioners were invested in the work. Nearly every dollar that was pledged was given to pay for the construction, he said.  

The church members raised $1 million in contributions, and the parish received a $400,000 loan from the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Reserved funds at the archdiocese help smaller parishes complete expensive renovation improvements. A program called Honoring Mary’s Legacy will be used to reduce the parish loan.   

For Dessauer, he said it was a special feeling to sit in the building after so many years of planning. “God came out and helped us with this,” he said.  

The new parish life center replaces a dilapidated education addition attached to the rectory. The 3,800 square foot building features a large kitchen, offices and a gathering space. In designing the building, the architect preserved ties from the first church here—a stained-glass sunburst and three small windows from the original chapel doors.  

Father Henry Thang M. Pham, the pastor at St. Mary Church, Toccoa, stands in the new parish life center. The Dec. 8 dedication celebration was a joy-filled day as the community saw the success of its hard work, said Father Pham. Photo by Andrew Nelson

The parish life center is connected by a covered walkway to the new religious education building, which replaced a small social hall. 

Jessica Burger oversees the religious education program, with 45 students enrolled. The parish is youth focused, always helping out young people. Various parish clubs provide breakfast to students before religious education gets started, she said.  

“We are all working for the future of the parish and our church,” said Burger, who is a special education administrator.  

A new classroom will be home to Paden Wood’s third and fourth graders. The 20-year-old college student is part of the future. Along with being a volunteer teacher, he helps with parish marketing and the church website to engage with others in the community. Wood sees that the facilities will help the parishioners “grow in knowledge and faith and grow as people.”  

Joe Creighton, who worships at St. Mary and at St. John Neumann Church, Lilburn, said the work’s completion is not the end, but only a benchmark for continued growth.  

With the new facilities, the parish can attract, grow and educate people in the faith, he said. The goal is always to build up the body of Christ, he said.