Photo By Michael Alexander

ACWORTH—Thousands of believers in the United States were welcomed into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. At the young St. Clare of Assisi Mission, in Acworth, it was the first time the community welcomed new Catholics.

It’s only the second Easter celebration for this Catholic mission community about 30 miles northwest of Atlanta. They are believers with a DIY spirit: Do what you can with the best you’ve got. Established in 2014, the community worships in space rented from a Protestant church and at North Cobb High School. Members of the Knights of Columbus weekly load a moving truck with an altar, tabernacle, tables and sound system to create a worship sanctuary in a high school theater. They pack the truck again after the final prayers.

Still, the faith community is growing with eight new Catholics receiving sacraments of initiation at Easter.

Father Mark Starr, the mission administrator, said the newest members at St. Clare signal that people are seeking “something more than the world has to offer.” Most of the new members range from 13 to 23 years old.

(L-r) Mike Mulqueen, his son Mickey, Laura Garcia and her brothers, Edgar Ortega and Henry Garcia, listen to Father Mark Starr’s Easter Vigil Mass homily. The Garcias, Ortega and Mulqueen were four of the eight new Catholics coming into the Catholic Church March 26 at St. Clare of Assisi Mission, Acworth. Eight-year-old Mickey also received his first holy Communion that night. Photo By Michael Alexander

“These are ours, these are our new disciples here,” he said about the group which fully joined the church at the Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 26. “We are excited about having them and that they want to continue moving in the faith.”

These people are part of more than 2,000 men, women and teenagers across the 69-county Atlanta Archdiocese being welcomed into the church. Catechumens, who have never been baptized, received sacraments of baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist at the Holy Saturday Easter Vigil. Candidates, who have already been baptized in another Christian tradition whose baptism is recognized by the Catholic Church, entered the church through a profession of faith and reception of confirmation and Eucharist.

Polls show the group of young people called millennials is less religiously affiliated than older generations. But one millennial standing out from her peers is Laura Garcia, a graduate of Kennesaw Mountain High School. The 23-year-old nurtured the flame of faith despite in the past not being able to attend Mass consistently.

“When I did go, I went with devotion. When I could, I enjoyed it. It made me peaceful,” said Garcia, who works at a dry cleaner.

The family last summer found St. Clare Mission. One thing led to another and Laura and her brothers took steps to complete readiness for the sacraments of confirmation and the Eucharist.

“I’ve grown closer to God. The more you get closer to God, the closer God gets to you. If you want God to help you, you have to put in the work also,” she said.

Church was important to her, which she credits to her grandmother. Said Garcia, “It was definitely the right step for me to grow as a person.”

After the Easter celebration, Garcia said she sees herself getting more involved. She knows the practices and prayers of the church, so she wants to be an active member of the church. She already invited friends to join her at Mass. One will enroll in the class next fall to fulfill her desire for the sacraments.

On her faith journey, Garcia’s desire is to take this next step by “doing it with a good heart.”

Father Mark Starr, right, and Deacon Thomas Ryan elevate the body and blood of Christ, respectively, during the Great Amen of the March 26 Easter Vigil Mass at St. Clare of Assisi Mission, Acworth. Father Starr serves as the administrator of the mission, which started in the summer of 2014. Photo By Michael Alexander

Her brother, Henry, also received the same sacraments. The high school senior is enlisting in the military and is to report for duty in June with the U.S. Marine Corps. He wanted to fulfill the sacraments to remain connected to his family, even when he is stationed far away.

“I want to be spiritually connected and not feel alone,” he said.

For Henry, he believes his peers are looking to belong and be with others who identify with their values. He finds his sense of belonging with the church and its global faith.

He said, “To me, I feel at home, at peace in the Catholic Church. I feel like I am connected not only to my family and my church, but to other cultures in the world.”

Fifty-year-old Mike Mulqueen was inspired by the dignified death of his faith-filled uncle to revisit the question of belief. His wife, Beth, is Catholic and they are raising their three children as Catholic.

“I intuitively knew that there was more to life than the here and now, but doubts always crept in which kept me from moving forward. I wanted an epiphany, some overt sign from God that would eliminate all doubts,” he said in an email.

Mulqueen’s uncle told stories, laughed, and smiled during treatments for the cancer that later killed him. “He was never afraid because he knew what awaited him.”

Mulqueen said he questioned if he’d “have left this world with such dignity.” A month after his uncle’s death, he began attending Mass at the mission.

“The process taught me what it means to be a good Christian, the love and power of God and a deeper understanding of the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made,” he said.

Tender moments for priest during Holy Week

The mission began a year and a half ago, carved from three nearby parishes. St. Catherine of Siena Church, Kennesaw, is its sponsoring community. It has close to 600 registered families, with nearly a quarter of them Hispanic Catholics.

Father Starr, a former engineer who learned Spanish in seminary, said the parish is to grow as a community honoring all religious cultures.

“I want us to understand and maintain the importance of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the posadas, and other things that we do,” he said. “We integrate together as one people.”

There are tender moments during Holy Week for Father Starr as he helps the community take shape. One was spending time with the newest Catholics individually and helping them rehearse for Easter.

“You have those moments as priests, these emotional moments when something will just hit you. Last Saturday night, I told every one of them, I want you to know how proud I am of all of you for sticking with this this year. You’ve engaged the faith. I want you to know this is my privilege. I get to do this. It means so much to me to be part of this. I am so grateful to them.”