Much to Rejoice

Father Charles Byrd Assumes Role as New Pastor at Mary Our Queen Catholic Church

By Kelsey Asher Photo by Tracey Rice

Above, Father Charles Arthur Byrd Right, Mary Our Queen during service Father Charles Arthur Byrd has led a rich, fulfilling personal and ministerial life prior to accepting his latest leadership role this July as the new Pastor at Mary Our Queen Catholic Church.

“Former pastors led in the building of our new church. Father Byrd, another visionary, will lead this parish forward,” longtime parishioner Jim Gaffey said.

It’s a daunting task to come into an established body of faith and make a positive difference, but Father Byrd is well up to the challenge.

“[Peachtree Corners] is a wonderful community, with a lot of good families. A lot of names to learn, but it’s a great parish,” Father Byrd said.

Prior to seminary, Father Byrd worked in the exciting world of advertising, residing in Louisville, Kentucky for seven years. Father Byrd was raised Protestant,

faithfully attending church in his hometown of Newnan, Georgia with his mother and father, brother and two sisters. During his time in Louisville, he was introduced to Catholicism and began singing in the choir at St. Martin’s, as well as serving as the cantor for the Latin Mass there. The road to Peachtree Corners

In his introductory letter to Mary Our Queen, Father Byrd describes his faith journey of self-discovery that eventually led him to pursue a higher calling of community service and a dedicated seminary program.

He finished his pre-theology at a Benedictine seminary in southwestern Pennsylvania, then his Bachelor’s of Sacred Theology at a Jesuit University in Rome and his License in Sacred Theology at a Dominican University in Rome. Father Byrd was ordained a deacon in St. Peter’s Basilica by the future Pope Benedict in 1999. Archbishop Donoghue ordained him a priest in Atlanta in 2001.

As a newly ordained priest, Father Byrd served for nearly two years at St. Andrew’s Parish in Roswell. From there he was sent to teach and do formation

work at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe where he had studied pre-theology.

In his letter to Mary Our Queen, Father Byrd expresses a profound love of the teaching aspects of being in a pastoral position, helping priests and parishioners alike in their spiritual and liturgical growth. Father Byrd’s extensive career trajectory has taken him across the globe, and yet he continues to return to his home state of Georgia, to Atlanta for almost two years at The Cathedral of Christ the King, then to Jasper as pastor at Our Lady of the Mountains for over a decade.

Now twenty years into his priesthood, Father Byrd shows no signs of slowing down and no waning of enthusiasm, as he is eager to begin a new chapter with Mary Our Queen. “Worship is, after all, who we are. I like embracing the whole of Catholicism. It is a great joy to me. The teacher in me will help us embrace together more and more of our rich heritage,” Father Byrd said in his introductory letter.

“Father Byrd’s unique background, focus and joyous approach, continuing the building of community, is already having an impactful effect,” Gaffey reported.

Looking forward

There is much to rejoice about at Mary Our Queen, and much to look forward to in the coming season and year. “We have a busy schedule coming up. We just did our All Soul’s Requiem mass and All Saint’s mass,” Father

Byrd said. “Then we have

Thanksgiving coming up and

Advent starting. Christmas is going to be kind of complicated this year as it falls on a

Saturday, so a busy time. We have the choir back, singing and doing a great job.” For more information about Father Byrd and Mary

Our Queen, visit maryourqueen.com. ■

Norcross Presbyterian Dedicates Renovated Historic Church Building

Avery special and spiritual day occurred recently for Norcross Presbyterian Church (NPC) as an official dedication ceremony took place to celebrate the church’s move into their newly renovated old church home of 89 Jones Street. On Sunday October 17, the congregation came together to commiserate.

A revered guest spoke at this momentous occasion. Reverend Dr. Lewis Fowler, Jr. was the pastor of NPC from 1966 to 1974 during a turbulent time for Gwinnett County and the nation. He recounted some poignant moments in the life of the church, moments when the church was a progressive leader on issues like desegregation and the war in Vietnam. Fowler was the last pastor to preach in the historic church before the move in 1972.

Executive Presbyter Aisha Brooks-Johnson and other representatives of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta were present to support the mission of Norcross Presbyterian Church in its new home.

A bit of background is needed to pinpoint the meaning behind this move. Back in 1899, the NPC congregation built a small white church with a distinctive bell tower in downtown Norcross, the church on Jones Street. NPC worshiped there for 73 years.

In 1972, they sold the property and moved to a more modern building not far away. The old church building endured. And now, 50 years later, the NPC congregation is moving back into their previous home church in order to return to a more intimate religious setting that better suits a modest church body.

NPC Administrator Jason Bernando explains further implications of the move and the improvements to the building that have been made.

“The goal of the renovation was to maintain the historic look and feel of the building, but to also give it modern amenities and functionality. A great example are the stained glass windows. These windows were an original feature of the building in 1899,” Bernando said.

“The three ornate windows memorialize three historical persons from the early church. These windows were removed back in 1972 and installed in the church we moved into at that time. We are very excited to bring the windows back to the Jones Street building and restore them to their former glory,” he added.

Efforts have been taken to modernize the church, with features “that include wireless audio and video capabilities that amplify sound, show graphics and videos, and stream services live on the internet. Not bad for a building that was constructed before electricity came to Norcross!” Bernando said.

For more information about Norcross Presbyterian, visit norcrosspresbyterian.org. ■

By Kelsey Asher

Above left, left to right: Chip Blankenship, Aishe Brooks-Johnson, Rev. Matthew Fry, Cassandra Morrow and Dr. Lewis Fowler, Jr. Photos provided by Jason Bernando.