TRENTON—St. Katharine Drexel Mission in Trenton celebrates its 10th anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 30, at 11:30 a.m. Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory will be the principal celebrant of the anniversary Mass with Msgr. Leo Herbert, the mission’s first pastor/administrator, and Father Tom Shuler, the current pastor/administrator, serving as concelebrants.

“This is a major event for St. Katharine’s,” said Father Shuler. “It’s about the Catholic presence in Dade County, and it’s about an enormous amount of work that the parishioners have poured into making the mission so beautiful and successful.”

He noted that without the foresight of Msgr. Herbert and several enthusiastic families the mission would never have been started. Much of the credit belongs to Archbishop Gregory, who was willing to listen to the need for a mission in the area, he said. Until St. Katharine was established, folks had to drive many miles to either Our Lady of the Mount Church on Lookout Mountain, to Fort Payne, Alabama, or to one of the parishes in the Knoxville, Tennessee Diocese. St. Katharine Drexel is a mission of Our Lady of the Mount Church.

Anthony Emanuel and his wife, Patti Nethery, and Patti’s mother and father, Martin and Val Nethery, were among those who approached Msgr. Herbert about a mission. Emanuel recalls that, “He was receptive, so we had a series of Masses in the chapel at the Trenton Methodist church. Once it looked as though it would succeed, we received permission to begin a mission and then raised $75,000 to buy and renovate a former Methodist church built in 1903.”

None of this would have happened without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the hard work of the people, Emanuel explained.

In addition to Archbishop Gregory and Msgr. Herbert, the Knights of Columbus from the St. Gerard’s Council have been invited to serve as an honor guard at the Mass.

Everyone is invited to a big potluck lunch after the Mass hosted by the women of the church.

“We’re famous for our monthly lunches, but this one will be really special,” explained Ericka LeFevre, one of the planners. “Some of the finest casseroles and coconut cake you’ve ever eaten will almost certainly be on the menu.”

The church is located at 109 New England Road, Trenton, GA 30752. For more information, contact 706-820-0680.