We are excited to welcome our new Parochial Vicar, Fr. Matthew Dalrymple. Fr. Matthew comes to us from St. Benedict’s parish in John’s Creek. He has been a priest for four years and has been involved in various ministries. He will be serving our whole community but will have particular responsibilities for our Hispanic ministry. Below you can see a portion of a write-up done about Fr. Matthew in the Georgia Bulletin when he was ordained. Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri Par

Q. If St. John the Baptist came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), then why didn’t he work miracles as the prophet Elijah did? A. Speaking of John the Baptist, whose nativity we celebrated last week, Scripture declares: “John performed no sign” (John 10:41). I don’t know that the Church has ever spoken definitively on this issue, so I’ll venture a speculation. The miracles Jesus worked, Scripture tells us, were signs intended to direct people’s attention to Jesu

Q. Is the existence of miracles a tenet of the Christian faith? A. Yes. Miracles belong to the very fabric of salvation history from beginning to end. To dismiss them out of hand as impossible is to deny the foundations of Christian faith. As St. Paul insisted, a Christianity without miracles such as the resurrection of Christ is no Christianity at all. It is “empty,” “false,” in “vain” (1 Corinthians 15:12–19). Some claim that science has disproved the possibility of miracle

Q. Why do Catholics call priests “Father” when Jesus taught we should “call no man father”? A. Jesus did indeed say: “Call no one on earth your father. You have but one Father in heaven” (Matthew 23:9). In light of these words from the Gospel, many non-Catholic Christians object to Catholics calling priests “father.” So how do Catholics understand this passage? In this situation, Jesus was rebuking the Pharisees for their spiritual pride (see Matthew 23:2–10). He reminded th

We have begun using a different arrangement of the Agnus Dei at Mass. This arrangement can be found in chant notation in the Pew Missal on page 30. It is the Agnus Dei from the Missa de Angelis. This beautiful Mass was written in the 15th Century and is one of the oldest and most beautiful Masses we have in the catholic tradition. If you would like to familiarize yourself with the Agnus Dei you can listen here.

Q. Is purgatory painful? A. Purgatory is the process after death through which someone who dies in friendship with God is purged of the consequences of sin. We don’t have many details of this process in Scripture. But texts that have traditionally been interpreted as allusions to purgatory certainly make it sound as if it’s painful. For example: “If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15

Q. Why do priests announce at Mass that non-Catholics cannot receive Communion? A. Priests who make that announcement at Mass are simply speaking the truth and passing along what the Church teaches. Sometimes that position is not very popular and calls for a certain pastoral sensitivity, but it is the right thing to do. There are some exceptions. The most notable is for members of the Orthodox Churches who may receive Holy Communion, as well as Penance and Anointing of the Si

Welcome to our new deacon, Brad Young, who is transferring to our parish from the Cathedral of Christ the King. Deacon Brad was ordained to the permanent diaconate in 2017. He grew up in southeastern Virginia and converted to the Catholic faith in 1996. He works in investment management and is currently a partner at ZWJ Investment Counsel in Midtown. Deacon Brad and his wife, Helen, have three children, ages 21, 20 and 17. We are excited to have Deacon Brad ministering a