St. Paul of the Cross Roman Catholic Church in Atlanta, GA. at 551 Harwell Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30318 US - Our Accomplishments
| Our Accomplishments |
AIDS Walk Tradition In the 2001 AIDS Walk in Atlanta, we donated $7,475, which rated our team as the 12th greatest Gold Team in the city. We raised more funds than many other larger organizations, like the Center for Disease Control & Prevention ("The CDC"), Anderson Consulting (Big 5 consulting) and Hewlett Packard (computer manufacturer). This is the second year in a row that our team ranked in the top 20!!! http://www.archatl.com/001130a.htm For the 2000 AIDS Walk in Atlanta, we donated $8,808, and ranked as the 14th in the top 20 fund raising walk teams. NO OTHER AFRICAN-AMERICAN OR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION BASED TEAM MADE THE TOP TWENTY. In 1988, we raised $6,193 for Atlanta-based AIDS organizations. Our team ranked 13th of all walking teams, and raised more money than American Express, Hewlett Packard, and SunTrust Bank. AIDS Ministry
On April 27, 2001, an AIDS seminar for teenagers and adults was held. The seminar for the teenagers was called, "Self-esteem and Life Skills for Teens" The agenda included, Brainstorming, Ranking personal goals, How Personal Goals Affect Decisions about Prevention of HIV, Postponing Sex, STDs, HIV, and the movie, "Travis" by Richard Kotuck. The adult agenda included, Turning Point and the Magnitude of the Epidemic, Trends in HIV Diagnosis, Implications for Prevention, and A Closer Look by Race and Gender.
The End of the World T-Shirts !!!! Father Melvin gave a very encouraging homily about the fears of Y2K and faith. He coined the phase, "Y2J" Yes to (2) Jesus. It was so inspiring, that the parish made and sold Y2J T-shirts. On the front, the shirts read, "Why worry about Y2K?" and on the back, they read, " When you can say Y2J (Yes to Jesus)!!" By wearing our T-shirts we share the faith in public, and at events like, Pro-Life rallies, AIDS Walks, summer neighborhood picnics and other public events.
Women's Society Accomplishments in 2001 - presented Annual Fashion Show / Luncheon as a fundraiser. - made annual donation to St. Vincent DePaul Society - contributed $3,000 for new air conditioners - sponsored reception for First Communion and Confirmation - coordinated Health Fair in 2000 - purchased new tableclothes for kitchen - provided meals for the homeless shelters at Immaculate Conception and Central Presbterian Churches - sponsored Annual Prayer Breakfast - "Discover Your God-given Gifts" Eucharist for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal
On May 31, 2001, Fr. Tim Hepburn, celebrated mass at St. Paul of the Cross.
Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Peter Claver 2001 Accomplishments - sponsored the reception after the mass dedicated for the parishner that graduate this year
Worldwide Sponsorship Tradition One of our traditions is to encourage parish families to sponsor children at Catholic missions overseas.
Christmas Gifts Tradition Children of needy families ask for Christmas gifts via an ordament that we use to decorate our Christmas tree. Parishioners take an ordament and then put a gift for a child under the tree. The church then delivers the gifts for the children for Christmas. For Christmas 2000, the parish families donated over 50 gifts to needy children. In 1999, the parish families donated over 50 gifts to needy children.
Thanksgiving Tradition The parish families donate food for needy families so that they can celebrate a Thanksgiving dinner.
The "Vinnies," the teenage members of the St. Vincent DePaul Society, collect pennies all year round via thier penny jar, and then they use the donations to purchase food for needy families for Thankgiving. In 2000, the parish families donated over a dozen Thanksgiving meals, and the parish donated over $50 over the year in spare change to the "Vinnies."
Lent 2001 To usher in the season of Lent, on top of stripping down the church, Father Melvin was able to acquire a few hundred small wood crosses, and with a whole lot of help, each one was threaded with purple (the color of Lent) yarn so that the crosses could be worn as a necklace.
2001 Calendars The Knights and the Ladies Auxiliary of St. Peter Claver bought Josephite African-American History and Heritage Calendars for the parish. These calendars have religious artwork and list important Catholic holidays and African-American history. Active parishioners give them to inactive Catholics as an invitation to come to mass.
Mass for the Those That Have Lost Fr. Columkille Regan, C.P. celebrated a special mass for parishioners who have suffered the lost of family and friends on January 15, 2001 at St. Paul of the Cross.
Sedar Meal 2001, 2000 Over 20 families enjoyed the same Sedar meal as described in the Bible practiced by the Jews.
Passion Play, 2001, 2000 The adult "Passion Players" acted the play of the Passion of Jesus per the gospel of Luke during the Palm Sunday and Good Friday masses. Palm Sunday masses have begun outside. "Jesus," riding a real donkey, and his "despiles" walking behind him, leads the way from the parking lot to the church entrance. The 2000 performance was covered by the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. (http://www.archatl.com/000504c.htm) The Passion Play is another one of a great many Catholic traditions. Every 10 years, since the 17th century, the Bavarian village of Oberammergau has staged a play about the crucifixion of Christ. During an outbreak of the plague in 1633, the townspeople vowed that they would tell the story about Christ if they were spared. According to legend, no one there died. The next year, they performed the play.
Health Fair 2000 On July 8, 2000, in cooperation with Southwest Hospital, we organized a health fair for the community. With the church van, we provided free transportation to our church. FREE health screening for Stroke Detection and Prevention, Glaucoma, Hearing, Blood Pressure, Diabetes, and Podiatry were offered. Children's ID Badges were also provided. Blood donation were also accepted.
Come To Me 2000 The Archdiocese of Atlanta organized an effort to recruit inactive Catholics and interested people to adopt the Catholic faith.
Pro-Life 2000 Our Pro-Life coordinator collected signatures onto a petition to end Capital Punishment. Renew 2000
The Pope asked the entire worldwide church to renew their faith during the Jubilee Year 2000. We at St. Paul of the Cross organized meetings during the week for parishioners to share their faith with each other.
Church Directory 2000 We created a bounded directory of all parishioners' photographs and addresses. Miracle Choir 2000
The Choir presented a fall concert on October 22 at the church. The Parish Youth Choir and guest musicians performed. Pieces, included traditional Catholic, Gospel, and Negro spirituals, including Martin Luther's "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" in eight parts, and "Come, Lord Jesus, Come' by Leon Roberts in six parts and the movement of Brahms Requiem, "How Lovely Are Thy Dwellings." A reception followed.
St. Vincent DePaul Society and Kroger Grocery fights hunger in 2000 Kroger donates $500 for every $75,000 in scanned sales. In 2000, Kroger donated $9,523 because members bought $1,428,450 from Kroger. Our St. Vincent DePaul Society members provide the commitment cards. Pennies From Heaven 2000 - "The Vinnies" The teenage members of the St. Vincent DePaul Society, "The Vinnies," collected $50 in year 2000 in thier penny bottle located in the back of the church. The contributions helped buy food for the food pantry for Thanksgiving.
Job Fair 1999 In 1999, we organized a job fair for the community. With the church van, we picked up people and brought them to our church, where we had recruiters and government employment agencies.
Lent 1999 To usher in the season of Lent, Father Melvin, arranged to get a few hundred Passionists' seals lapel pins, and with a whole lot of help, each pin was decorated with a purple (the color of Lent) ribbon.
Recruitment by Business Cards In 1999, Fr. Michael S. Greene came up with the idea of pashioners giving away church business cards to people that might be interested in joining the church as a recruitment effort.
Kwanzaa 1997 http://www.archatl.com/970102c.htm 40 Years Strong
In 1995, we celebrated our 40 year birthday as a parish!!! Pope John Paul II recognized St. Paul of the Cross Church. His Holiness John Paul II paternally imparted a special apostolic blessing to the parishioners of St. Paul fo the Cross on thier 40th anniversary.
Church Directory 1995 We created a bounded directory of all parishioners' photographs and addresses. Kwanzaa 1994 http://www.archatl.com/gabull/1994/941222e.htm