All posts by Andrea Perry

Grace Garden

Grace Garden

Designed as a serene place to mediate and pray, Grace Garden takes its design from the Rosary meditation.  Guests may pray as they walk the garden’s outer path, stopping at each of the 5 Joyful Mysteries to contemplate Biblical events in the life of Jesus and Mary.  A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the first person to say “yes” to discipleship with Christ, has been placed in the center of the garden to provide a place for quiet contemplation.

Heritage Preserve

Grace Garden

We are restoring the land that the first Catholic settlers farmed over 200 years ago to complement the historic properties of Purification Heritage Center.

Work has already begun on Grace Garden, a meditative space for prayer; Trinity Common Pavilion, a place to gather for meals and fellowship; and the Welcome Foyer, the entry to the property which includes parking and a bathroom. Phase 1 will be completed fall of 2020.

Future plans include a Seven Sorrows meditative garden, the 14 stations of Via Lucis, an event barn, cabins, walking trails, and a working farm. 

Purification Cemetery

Purification Cemetery

Grace Garden

The first Catholic congregation of Georgia moved to Sharon from Locust Grove around 1875 to be closer to the railroad. The church was relocated from Locust Grove, and a new cemetery was established.

Purification Cemetery is an active Catholic cemetery and many of Taliaferro County’s founding families have plots here.

Church of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Grace Garden

The current Church of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in 1883 and is the third church built by the first Catholic congregation in Georgia.

Once the center of Catholic life in Georgia, Sharon’s population eventually dwindled. From lack of use, the church was neglected and fell into ruin.

A group of concerned Catholics initiated a campaign to save the church, and it is now open for retreats, tours, and special Masses.

Locust Grove Cemetery

Locust Grove Cemetery

Grace Garden

Listed on the National Register for Historic Places, Locust Grove Cemetery is the first Catholic cemetery in Georgia.

In 1790, Catholics from Maryland made their way to Georgia and settled in this lovely, remote spot, building a log cabin church and a burial ground for their community.

Today, the cemetery remains a beautiful place for prayer and contemplation. A Mass for All Souls Day is held in the cemetery on the Saturday closest to All Souls Day each year.

Our History

About Us

Georgia’s First Parish

The first of its kind, in a Georgia now gone.

​By 1790, the former British colonies had risen up to create a new nation, the United States of America. It was then that a group of English Catholic families from Maryland, lured by the fertile lands and religious tolerance of Georgia, moved to what was then Wilkes (now Taliaferro) County and established a farming community. They called their settlement Mary Land.

​Soon, French Catholics fleeing the revolution in their country and the slave revolt in Haiti joined them. Later, Irish settlers came, including the ancestors of authors Margaret Mitchell and Flannery O’Connor.

​The little village of Mary Land eventually became known as Locust Grove. The settlers built their first church, literally just a log cabin, in the late 1790s. As the congregation grew, the log church was replaced by a larger frame structure in 1821. Sometime between 1818 and 1821, the first Catholic school in Georgia was chartered as Locust Grove Academy. It was to be the alma mater of three future governors of Georgia, including Alexander Stephens from nearby Crawfordville.

​By the mid-1800s Locust Grove was the center of Catholic life in much of Georgia. The parish had grown to serve several remote “stations” (usually homes where Catholics gathered for Mass and confession). These were located in or near Washington, Crawfordville, Athens, Louisville, Sparta, and even across the Savannah River in South Carolina.

​A new beginning and then…

​By the time of the Civil War, the Catholic community in Locust Grove had migrated to the nearby town of Sharon, which had sprung up along the railroad that was built through the area in the 1850s. In 1877, the Church of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary moved to Sharon, which entailed the relocation of the wood frame church initially built in 1821 in Locust Grove Cemetery.

​In 1883, with the old frame church no longer adequate for the parish’s needs, the present church was built. It was a bright, beautiful building, almost indistinguishable from Protestant churches of the time. Communicants arrived to a white clapboard church drawn by the peal of its bell, the same bell we hear today. Then, as now, towering double-hung sash windows let in generous amounts of light to the nave.

​The Sharon campus grew to include a new school, Sacred Heart Seminary, which was run by the Sisters of St. Joseph from nearby Washington. Sacred Heart Seminary housed a convent, a boarding school for boys, and a day school for girls.  The school operated until the 1940s. Sacred Heart Seminary originally stood on the property to the left of the church.

​During the height of its prosperity, trains rolled in and out of Sharon laden with cotton from surrounding plantations. It was a bustling community well into the early 20th century, but the onset of the boll weevil during and after 1915 decimated the cotton economy in Georgia and Sharon. Plantations were sold. People moved elsewhere.

​Over the course of the 20th century, the population of Sharon slowly dwindled, as did the number of Catholics there. In 2001, the Archdiocese of Atlanta downgraded Purification Church to station status under St. Joseph’s parish in Washington. In 2017, The Church of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary was designated as The Heritage Center of the Purification of the Virgin Mary. The church and both cemeteries are now maintained and operated by Purification Heritage Center. 

GUÍAS DE ORACIÓN

Compañero

La serie Orando con las Escrituras proporciona 25 pasajes recomendados para usar a lo largo de esta serie de cinco semanas, uno por día, durante cinco días de la semana.

Para cada escritura, se proporciona una Guía de Oración, con el versículo de las Escrituras, una reflexión guiada y los pasos de la sesión de oración ignaciana. Puede usar su propio diario o imprimir la Guía de Oración (publicada en archspm.org/sinodo), como diario mientras ora.

Guías de Oración

SÍNODO DE LA  ARQUIDIÓCESIS DE
SAINT PAUL Y MINNEAPOLIS
SERIES DE ORANDO CON LAS ESCRITURAS

SEMANA 1

  1. BARTIMEO ~ ¿Qué quieres que haga por ti? Marcos 10,46-52
  2. PALABRAS DE JESUS DE INVITACIÓN ~ “Vengan a mí, todos ustedes que trabajan…”Mateo 11, 25-30
  3. LA PALABRA DE ESPERANZA DE JEREMÍAS ~ “Yo se los planes que tengo para ti” Jeremías 29, 11-14
  4. NO TEMAS ~ “Tu eres precioso a mis ojos, honrado, y te amo” Isaías 43, 1-7
  5. DIOS EN EL ORIGEN DE MI SER ~ “Me tejiste en el vientre de mi madre”. Salmo 139, 1-18

SEMANA 2

  1. ALFARERO Y ARCILLA ~ “Como la arcilla en la mano del alfarero, así eres tú en mi mano”. Jeremías 18, 1-6
  2. DECIRLE “SÍ” A DIOS ~ “Dios … le dijo: ‘¡Abraham!’ Y él dijo: ‘Aquí estoy’” Génesis 22, 1-19
  3. UN GRITO DE SINCERIDAD ABSOLUTA ~ “Crea en mí un corazón limpio, oh Dios”. Salmo 51, 1-19
  4. ZAQUEO ~ “Date prisa y baja; porque hoy debo hospedarme en tu casa”. Lucas 19, 1-10
  5. CONSAGRADO EN EL ESPÍRITU ~ “Vio al Espíritu … que descendía como una paloma y se posaba sobre él”. Mateo 3, 13-17

SEMANA 3

  1. LA PRIMERA DE LAS SEÑALES ~ “Haz lo que él te diga”. Juan 2, 1-11
  2. LA MUJER SAMARITANA ~ “Si conocieras el don de Dios…” Juan 4, 1-42
  3. “LANZAR A LAS PROFUNDIDADES” ~ “Con tu palabra echaré las redes”. Lucas 5, 1-11
  4. EL VALOR DE DECIRLE TODO A JESÚS ~ “Hija, tu fe te ha salvado”. San Marcos 5, 24-34
  5. DA TU VIDA POR EL EVANGELIO ~ “Al ver las multitudes, tuvo compasión de ellas…” Mateo 9, 35-10, 16

SEMANA 4

  1. CAMINAR SOBRE EL AGUA ~ “Señor, si eres tú, mándame ir hacia ti sobre las aguas”. Mateo 14, 22-33
  2. UN DESTELLO DE GLORIA ~ “Su rostro brillaba como el sol”. Mateo 17, 1-13
  3. DE LA MUERTE A LA NUEVA VIDA ~ “¡Mira cómo lo amaba!” Juan 11, 1-44
  4. “LOS AMÓ HASTA EL FINAL” ~ “Luego echó agua en una palangana y comenzó a lavar los pies de los discípulos”. Juan 13, 1-17
  5. EL REGALO MÁS GRANDE DE TODOS ~ “Este es mi cuerpo que es entregado por ti”. Lucas 22, 7-30

SEMANA 5

  1. NO MI VOLUNTAD, SINO LA TUYA ~ “Padre mío, si es posible, aleja de mí este cáliz”. Mateo 26, 36-46
  2. JESÚS DA SU VIDA ~ “Padre, en tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu”. Lucas 23, 26-49
  3. MUJER… ¿POR QUÉ LLORAS? ~ “¡María … Rabboni!” Juan 20, 1; 11-18
  4. UN VIAJE HACIA LA ESPERANZA ~ “¿No ardía nuestro corazón dentro de nosotros mientras nos hablaba en el camino?” Lucas 24, 13-35
  5. ¿ME AMAS? ~ “Ellos sabían que era el Señor”. Juan 21, 1-19

Praying with Scripture Series

Discussion

Series Overview

Read an Introduction from Archbishop Bernard Hebda

Welcome to the Praying with Scripture series taught by Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens. If you have never prayed with Scripture, that’s okay – this teaching series will help you get started!
If you have prayed with Scripture and want to go deeper, this teaching series will help you grow.

Prayer is a relationship with God. Just like any relationship, there are always opportunities to grow deeper. That’s what this series is about.
It has four components:

1. Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Cozzens offer a series of five teaching videos. These videos also feature testimonials from fellow Catholics from across the Archdiocese. The series is hosted by Yen Fasano. The titles of the talks and speakers are listed below:

o Week 1: Prayer is a Personal Relationship with God | Archbishop Hebda
o Week 2: How to Listen to God in Our Hearts | Bishop Cozzens
o Week 3: Conversation with God – Acknowledge, Relate, Receive,  Respond | Bishop Cozzens
o Week 4: Discernment of Spirits – Consolation and Desolation |  Bishop Cozzens
o Week 5: Overcoming Obstacles | Archbishop Hebda

2. Talk outlines are provided for each week. As you listen to the teaching video, follow along in the outline. You may print the outline and use the space on the right for notes or use your own journal for notetaking.

3. Discussion questions accompany these outlines. If you are participating in this series together with a group, consider selecting some or all of these questions for your group discussion.

4. Twenty-five Prayer Companions, each with a different scripture verse and guided reflection, provide a structure for your time of prayer as explained in this series, with space for journaling. We invite you to
use one Prayer Companion a day throughout the course of this five-week series, feeling free to return to your favorites as desired. These materials are available at archspm.org/synod.

Practical Tips

Every journey begins with that first step. Don’t wait for tomorrow or next week – commit to pray starting today! Here are a few practical tips as your start:

  • Routine is important. It’s helpful to find a consistent time and place to pray each day. You may try various times to see what works best for you.
  • If you haven’t prayed before, start with 15 minutes each day. If you do miss a day, that’s okay – just start again the next day.
  • The Prayer Companions are guides to assist you in your prayer time. Throughout the five talks, each step in the Prayer Companions will be explained in greater detail. Use them when it is helpful, while
    knowing that prayer is personal. Simply ask the Lord to lead you.
  • Sometimes it’s hard to make yourself sit down and pray. Even the saints struggled with prayer at times. Some days you may feel God is near, and other days not. In both cases, the Lord is pleased you chose to spend time with him. Trust he is doing his work in your heart, even if you do not feel it.

Spiritual Reading

Good books can help us understand what is happening in our lives of prayer and learn the ways of God.
They can spur our imagination and our desire to grow in prayer.
Some suggestions for growing in prayer are:

  • Fr. Jacques Philippe, Time for God
  • Peter Kreeft, Prayer for Beginners
  • St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life
  • Fr. Timothy Gallagher, The Discernment of Spirits

May God bless you on your prayer journey!

PRAYER COMPANIONS

Companion

The Praying with Scripture series provides 25 recommended scriptures for use throughout the five-week series – one a day for five days each week.

For each scripture, a Prayer Companion is provided with the scripture verse, a guided reflection, and the steps in the Ignatian prayer session. You may use your own journal, or feel free to print the Prayer Companion (posted at archspm.org/synod) to journal as you pray.

ARCHDIOCESE OF
SAINT PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS SYNOD
PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE SERIES

WEEK 1

  1. BARTIMAEUS ~ “What do you want me to do for you?” Mark 10:46-52
  2. JESUS’ WORDS OF INVITATION ~ “Come to me, all you who labor …” Matthew 11:25-30
  3. JEREMIAH’S WORD OF HOPE ~ “I know the plans I have for you.” Jeremiah 29:11-14
  4. FEAR NOT ~ “You are precious in my eyes, / and honored, and I love you.” Isaiah 43:1-7
  5. GOD AT THE ORIGIN OF MY BEING ~ “You knit me in my mothers’ womb.” Psalm 139:1-18

WEEK  2

6.POTTER AND CLAY ~ “Like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.” Jeremiah 18:1-6

7.SAYING “YES” TO GOD ~ “God … said to him, ‘Abraham!’  And he said, ‘Here am I.’” Genesis 22:1-19

8.A CRY OF UTTER SINCERITY ~ “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” Psalm 51:1-19

9.ZACCHAEUS ~ “Make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” Luke 19:1-10

10.CONSECRATED IN THE SPIRIT ~ “He saw the Spirit … descending like a dove, and alighting on him.” Matthew 3:13-17

WEEK 3

11.THE FIRST OF THE SIGNS ~ “Do whatever he tells you.” John 2:1-11

12.THE SAMARITAN WOMAN ~ “If you knew the gift of God …” John 4:1-42

13.“PUT OUT INTO THE DEEP” ~ “At your word I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:1-11

14.THE COURAGE TO TELL JESUS EVERYTHING ~ “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” Mark 5:24-34

15.SPEND YOUR LIFE FOR THE GOSPEL ~ “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them …” Matthew 9:35-10:16

WEEK 4

16.WALKING ON WATER ~ “Lord, if it is you, bid me to come to you on the water.” Matthew 14:22-33

17.A GLIMPSE OF GLORY ~ “His face shone like the sun.” Matthew 17:1-13

18.FROM DEATH TO NEW LIFE ~ “See how he loved him!” John 11:1-44

19.“HE LOVED THEM TO THE END” ~ “Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet.” John 13:1-17

20.THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL ~ “This is my body which is given for you.” Luke 22:7-30

WEEK 5

21.NOT MY WILL BUT YOUR WILL ~ “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” Matthew 26:36-46

22.JESUS GIVES HIS LIFE ~ “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Luke 23:26-49

23.THE WOMAN IN TEARS ~ “Mary … Rabboni!” John 20:1; 11-18

24.A JOURNEY INTO HOPE ~ “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road?” Luke 24:13-35

25.DO YOU LOVE ME? ~ “They knew it was the Lord.” John 21:1-19