Atlanta, Ga., Aug 13, 2010 / 04:35 am
Former parishioners from Buffalo, New York will travel to Georgia to visit the site where their closed church building will begin serving a new congregation. A Catholic parish in the Atlanta area is relocating the historic church building over a distance of 900 miles.
Nineteen former parishioners from the Church of St. Gerard will travel to Mary Our Queen Parish in Norcross, Georgia to visit their 99-year-old church’s planned new home. The church was closed in 2008 due to declining membership.
The church is modeled after the famous Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. While reproducing a similar church from scratch would cost an estimated $40 million, relocating the Buffalo church building is expected to cost only $15 million.
Fr. Francis X. “Butch” Mazur, the last pastor of St. Gerard’s, will lead the pilgrimage, a press release from Mary Our Queen Parish reports. He and his parishioners will present a crucifix of St. Gerard’s to the Georgia parish.