"Where We Are Family"
"Where We Are Family"
From Lapsed Catholic to Catholic Priest -
Why I Left the Church and What Brought Me Back
Fr. Jim Flanagan, Parochial Vicar
Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Atlanta
Tuesday, Feb. 9th - 7:00PM in McNamee Hall
Admission is Free - All Are Welcome
The St. Peter Chanel Adult Education Guest Speaker Series, the St. Peter Chanel Young Adult Ministry and the St. Peter Chanel Business Association are excited to welcome Fr. Jim Flanagan, Parochial Vicar at at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Atlanta, to speak at our February SPC Business Association meeting. His talk is on a highly relevant and exciting topic of concern to all Catholics, young and old, in and out of the workplace, and we hope you will attend and bring your friends! Admission is FREE and open to everyone!
Topic Summary:
Join us on Tuesday, February 9 at 7pm as we welcome back to St. Peter Chanel, Fr. James Flanagan who is currently serving as Parochial Vicar at Holy Spirit in Atlanta. He will share with us his own story — a journey that has taken him out of the Church and back again. Using his story, he will seek to answer the question: “Why so many Catholics abandon their faith as young adults?” While the world pulls our youth in so many different directions, Fr. Flanagan will offer his own insights as to what is at the root of the problem. The answer, he’ll tell us, lies at the heart of a silent resurgence that is taking place right before our eyes. Of course, all are welcome to attend, but this particular session is geared toward encouraging young adults and young families to return to the Church and to inspire them to continue practicing their Catholic faith. It is a faith that is, as St. Augustine once put it, “ever ancient and ever new.”
Speaker Bio:
Father James Flanagan was recently assigned to Holy Spirit after his ordination to the Priesthood on May 31, 2008. An only child and a native of Miami, Florida, he grew up in Key Largo, Florida. Having grown up close to the ocean, Father Flanagan enjoyed fishing and was active in sports (football and basketball) while in high school.
He entered the United States Air Force in October 1991 and served at two assignments while in the military. He worked as a welder/structural specialist at Goodfellow, AFB in San Angelo, Texas from February 1992 – September 1994 until he was assigned to Ramstein AB in Kaiserslautern, Germany. While in Germany, Fr. Flanagan traveled to more than 20 countries including Egypt, Israel, and Jordan. He also continued his work in construction in maintaining various sites for the Air Force and the Army and was involved in the preparation of the first wave of troops and supplies into Bosnia for “Operation Joint Endeavor” in December 1995. Fr. Flanagan finished his time in the military in Germany and left the Air Force in September 1996.
From January 1997 until May 2001, he studied in the “Humanities and Catholic Culture” department at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. This area of intellectual formation included critically reading the classics from western civilization along with studying the history of Europe and the West from the perspective of the Catholic Church. To paraphrase one of his favorite authors, Christopher Dawson: “To understand a specific culture it is vital to study that culture’s respective religion. One cannot study the history of Europe and the West without studying Catholicism, which gave this society both its structure and its impetus.” Broadly conceived, his education included analysis in the following disciplines: theology, philosophy, history, the arts, political science, literature, and anthropology. Fr. Flanagan earned his B.A. in “Humanities and Catholic Culture” in May 2001.
After graduating from college, Fr. Flanagan moved to Atlanta where good friends of his had decided to settle. Because of the continual growth of construction in the city, he worked for a little while in the welding/piping industry and then took a job as a property manager for the next year. He managed both condominiums and their homeowner’s associations from September 2001 until August 2002. By August of that year, Fr. Flanagan decided to put his degree to use and took a job as the RCIA/Adult Education Coordinator at St. Brigid Catholic Church in Alpharetta. While there, he was encouraged by many co-workers and friends to consider a vocation to the priesthood which led him to enter Mt. Saint Mary’s Seminary in the fall of 2003.
Fr. Flanagan finished his course work in the seminary this past May and recently received both his M.Div. and M.A. in Theology with a concentration in Church History.
All are welcome. Please RSVP to help us plan for the evening. Contact Deacon Mike Bickerstaff at adulted@stpeterchanel.org or 678-832-1228.
Ash Wednesday Rice & Beans
Poor Man's Supper
Wednesday, Feb. 17th - 5:30PM to 9:00PM
In McNamee Hall - All Are Welcome
Make a sacrifice this Ash Wednesday & eat a Poor Man’s Supper! Our high school teens are hosting a rice & beans poor man’s supper after both evening masses on Ash Wednesday in McNamee Hall.
Proceeds will support the Teen Mission Trip. All are welcome to participate in this Lenten Sacrifice! Bring your family and friends to support our teens in their outreach.
Do you have any old cell phones? Please bring them on Ash Wednesday and place them in the recycle bin in McNamee Hall.
2nd Annual Atlanta Catholic Business Conference
"How to be Catholic in the Workplace"
Chris Lowney, Keynote Speaker
James Nolan, Special Guest Speaker
Saturday, Feb. 20th - 9:30AM to 3:00PM
in SPC McNamee Hall
Sponsored By:
The Woodstock Business Conference at Georgetown University,
The Aquinas Theology Center at Emory University, and
The St. Peter Chanel Business Association.
The Second Annual Atlanta Catholic Business Conference returns to SPC with a strong line-up of speakers including:
For information and to register online:
Contact Deacon Mike Bickerstaff at with any questions at: adulted@stpeterchanel.org or 678-832-1228.
Many Recent Additions for
Growing In Your Catholic Faith
Be sure to check out the many recent additions to the SPC Catholic Faith Resource Pages, including recaps and audio recordings of many of our past speaker conferences.
Send feedback and questions to adulted@stpeterchanel.org.
The parish mission talks given November 30 - December 2 by the Sisters of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus were recorded. The first two talks are available to listen to and download on the SPC website. Mission photos are also online.
678-832-1281 ext. #7014
prolife@stpeterchanel.org
SPC Pro Life Ministry Web Page
The Pro Life Ministry at SPC promotes the Church’s sanctity of life doctrine in four ways: through prayer and worship; public information and education; pastoral care; and public policy.
Click on the above links for more information.
678-832-1281 ext. #7052
missions@stpeterchanel.org
SPC Mission Ministry Web Page
The Mission Ministry at St. Peter Chanel was founded in 2002. Our goal is to present many different opportunities for fellow parishioners to come to know Christ better through various experiences both local and overseas. We attempt to offer “something for everyone” whether a parishioner’s available time, talent or resources are vast or very limited. We believe, through involvement with the poor, we can all come to know, love and serve Christ in a deeper way.
Click on the above link for more information.
678-832-1281 # 7007
adoration@stpeterchanel.org
Our Lord, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, waits patiently for us to bring our every need and desire to Him. If you are busy, come! If you are burdened, come!
The Eucharistic Adoration Ministry is compiling a list of people willing to substitute for a guardian for one hour. Listing is name/phone/email so guardians would have somewhere to turn if they needed a substitute. Do you have an hour to give to the Lord? Please email your contact information and indicate when you can substitute - morning, afternoon, night or weekends.
We are also in need of additional, regularly-scheduled guardians who can serve one hour per week. If you are interested in becoming a guardian for any hour, please call the Eucharistic Adoration ministry hotline or email our ministry leader.
From the USCCB website...
"Pope Benedict XVI has declared a “Year for Priests” beginning with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 19, 2009. The year will conclude in Rome with an international gathering of priests with the Holy Father on June 19, 2010. With the announcement of this Year for Priests, the Pope has declared St. John Vianney the Universal Patron of Priests on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of the Curé d’Ars..." read more
A Peoples' Prayer For Priests
Dear Lord, we pray that the Blessed Mother wrap her mantle around your priests and through her intercession strengthen them for their ministry. We pray that Mary will guide your priests to follow her own words, “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn 2:5). May your priests have the heart of St. Joseph, Mary’s most chaste spouse. May the Blessed Mother’s own pierced heart inspire them to embrace all who suffer at the foot of the cross. May your priests be holy, filled with the fire of your love seeking nothing but your greater glory and the salvation of souls. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
We welcome anyone interested in joining the Catholic Church. Each year we conduct two series of classes that enable people to go through the process of coming into the Catholic Church.
If you have never been baptized, we offer a series of classes that initially provide you with information to help you determine if this journey is right for you. If you choose to continue, the classes will prepare you for the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.
A separate series of classes is offered to those who are previously baptized and will help prepare you to come into full communion with the Church.
Friday 1/29: Fr. Peter's progress continues in good fashion! He will be discharged and leave the hospital today to continue his recuperation at home. He wants to let you know how instrumental everyones' prayers have been and how much they have meant to him and his recovery. If you would like to offer a Spiritual Bouquet for Fr. Peter, cards are available at collection stations in the Narthex and next to the Receptionist. We will continue to collect these prayer and penance offerings through Monday, February 1st.
Thursday 1/21: Fr. Peter's surgery was performed Wednesday (1/20) morning. The surgery went very well and his doctors continue to be optimistic about Fr. Peter's prognosis and full recovery. He is resting and has begun his recovery, thanks be to God! He's already been up and moving about. Please continue your prayers.
Archbishop Gregory has asked each of us to pray for all the victims and families affected by the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti. He has also asked for our financial support to help with relief aid. Thank you for your incredible generosity demonstrated by the special collection for Haiti taken up on the weekend of January 30th & 31st.
You may also donate through our Electronic Giving Program. Simply click on the link below to get started. We have set up a special fund called “Haiti Earthquake Victims” in the “Misc. St. Peter Chanel Collections” section of the payment page.
If you are a Catholic who has been away from the Church for a while, this invitation is for you! Our faith community misses you and is incomplete without you!
No matter how long you have been away, for whatever reason, we invite you to consider renewing your relationship with the Catholic Church.
Dear friends in Christ,
On behalf of the parish community of St. Peter Chanel, I welcome you and invite you to consider joining this wonderful faith community. We are a vibrant parish offering you an opportunity to take part in a rich sacramental life and a variety of ministries to help you enrich your Catholic faith.
In our short history, much has been achieved thanks to the many sacrifices of our parishioners, both past and present. We welcome you to join us as we continue to work together to fulfill our parish mission: "Nourishing the Body of Christ by nurturing one another through the guidance of the Holy Spirit."
We seek to faithfully continue the work that has been entrusted to us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to build His Kingdom here on earth. In the proclamation of the Gospel and the celebration of the Sacraments, we come to meet the Lord. We deepen that encounter through the variety of educational opportunities for both children and adults, the many opportunities for personal devotions, and through works of charity available at St. Peter Chanel. Of course, we extend our experience of Church with the many social gatherings that bring us together as family.
We take pride in our parish website and invite you to explore it for complete information, details, and a variety of contact listings. If we can help you here at St. Peter Chanel, whether you are new to the area or new to Georgia, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Once again, I welcome you to St. Peter Chanel and pray that you find it to be your new spiritual home.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Reverend Peter J. Rau
Pastor
For cancellations due to inclement weather, check 11Alive TV, 11alive.com or 104.7 The Fish FM. Adoration Guardians can call the ministry hotline at 678-832-1281, mailbox #7007, to hear the latest recording regarding any changes to the Perpetual Adoration schedule.
General Information
Sacramental Life
Education
Ministries
Contact Info
St. Peter Chanel
Catholic Church
11330 Woodstock Road
Roswell, GA 30075
678-277-9424
www.stpeterchanel.org
Copyright 2010 - St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church
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