From a Funeral Home Chapel to a Macon Parish
Holy Spirit Catholic Church began as a study in 1967, when St. Joseph Parish asked whether the south and west side of Macon could sustain a Catholic congregation of its own. In 1965, St. Joseph had quietly purchased land at the corner of Chambers Road and Bloomfield Road. Two years later, the study confirmed what Father E. Perot Fiero, an assistant pastor at St. Joseph, had already begun to suspect: a new parish was needed in the growing neighborhoods south and west of the city center. On June 16, 1968, the Diocese of Savannah officially established Holy Spirit Parish, with Father Fiero as its first administrator.
The first 125 members met for Mass in Crest Lawn Funeral Home Chapel on Hillcrest Avenue, a temporary home the parish would occupy for eighteen months while workers cleared the Chambers Road site. Father Fiero planned the new building with characteristic energy, but on April 7, 1970, he was killed in an automobile accident. The next morning, almost 600 people crowded into the unfinished 300-seat church for a memorial Mass. Bishop Gerald L. Frey dedicated the completed building on June 14, 1970. In May of that year, Father Brendan Timmins arrived as administrator, and his love of God and his Irish wit, in the words of the parish history, lifted a grieving community back onto its feet. He remained until May 1972.
Building, Expanding, Burning the Mortgage
By the end of the 1970s, the south Macon parish had outgrown its walls. During Father John Kenneally's tenure, a 1979 survey showed that members were ready to build, and pledges quickly funded a new sanctuary. Construction began in February 1981, and the new Holy Spirit Catholic Church was dedicated on December 4, 1982. Father Patrick Shinnick marked another milestone in 1994 when he burned the mortgage in a moving ceremony before the assembled parish. In 1998, Father Brett Brannen added a separate schoolhouse on parish grounds to house Faith Formation classes, fulfilling a long-held dream of catechists and parents. The most recent building project came in 2008 under Father Mike Ingram's guidance, when the church itself was expanded to accommodate continued growth. Bishop J. Kevin Boland rededicated the redesigned building on January 11, 2009. From the 125 souls in Crest Lawn Funeral Home Chapel to a weekend community of nearly 500, the parish has grown steadily across five decades.
Holy Spirit is one of the parishes participating in the Diocese of Savannah's Harvest of Hope capital campaign introduced by Bishop Stephen D. Parkes. Information about the campaign is available through the diocesan site.
The Sunday Rhythm
Sunday at Holy Spirit begins with the principal Mass at 10:00 a.m. and continues with the children's Faith Formation program at 11:15 a.m. The Formation classes run through 12:30 p.m., giving families a seamless morning of worship and catechesis. The program is led by Directors of Religious Education Gymee and Russel Sills, who can be reached through the parish office.
The 10:00 a.m. Sunday liturgy is animated by the parish choir under director Greg Boike. The Saturday Vigil choir is led by Chris Riley. Both choirs are open to additional singers and instrumentalists, and the choirs also provide music for the major feasts and liturgical seasons throughout the year.
Weekdays: Adoration, Rosary, and Mass
Holy Spirit maintains one of the more consistent weekday schedules among Macon parishes. From Monday through Thursday, the day opens with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at 8:00 a.m., the Rosary at 8:25 a.m., and daily Mass at 9:00 a.m. First Fridays add a 9:00 a.m. Mass as well, in keeping with the traditional Catholic devotion to the Sacred Heart. Saturday afternoons offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation from approximately 4:00 to 4:45 p.m., followed by the Vigil Mass at 5:00 p.m.
Anyone unable to attend in person can follow Mass via the livestream on the parish Facebook page. Daily Scripture readings from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and a link to the Divine Office are shared on the parish site for those who pray the Liturgy of the Hours at home.
Mass Intentions
Parishioners and friends may request that a Mass be offered for a particular intention, most commonly for a deceased loved one or a family intention. The customary stipend is $10, and requests are arranged through the parish office. The schedule of upcoming intentions is published weekly on the parish site.
The Friars of Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is pastored by the Order of Friars Minor, the Franciscan First Order commonly known by the initials OFM. The current pastor, Father Steven Pavignano, OFM, continues a tradition of Franciscan and diocesan priests who have shepherded the parish since its founding in 1968. He follows a long line of pastors who have shaped the parish through five decades, including Fathers Hurley, Collins, Leahy, O'Mahony, Kenneally, Stanton, Cushing, Shinnick, Brannen, Zebron, Donahue, Ingram, Kavanaugh, Koetter, and Tuttle, OFM.
Assisting at the parish is Father Casey Cole, OFM. Father Casey grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and moved to Cary, North Carolina, at the age of 14. He graduated from Furman University in 2011 with a degree in Religious Studies and a minor in Poverty Studies, entered the Franciscan order in August 2011, made solemn profession in August 2017, and was ordained to the priesthood in June 2019. He has published three books - Called: What Happens After Saying Yes to God, Let Go: Seven Stumbling Blocks to Christian Discipleship, and The Way of Beatitude - and creates content for two YouTube channels on evangelization and vocations. In Macon, he serves as chaplain to Mount de Sales Academy, St. Peter Claver School, and Mercer University.
Running the parish office day to day is Petra Baker, the parish administrator. Office hours run Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Liturgical Ministries: A Place for Every Parishioner
Six formal liturgical ministries keep the parish running week to week. Lectors read the first and second readings and the Prayers of the Faithful at Mass; the lead lector, Lois Liotta, distributes a yearly handbook containing all readings with pronunciation guides so that new readers can prepare thoroughly for their assignments. Ushers, coordinated by lead usher Patti Temple, greet worshippers as they arrive, take up the collection, help direct the congregation for Holy Communion, hand out bulletins after Mass, and secure the building when the last person has left. Altar Servers assist the priest at the altar and must have received First Holy Communion before completing a training session. Gift Bearers carry the bread and wine to the altar during the Offertory; any family or individual is welcome to volunteer through an usher. Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers distribute Holy Communion and purify the sacred vessels; training is required and ministers must be confirmed.
The choirs of Greg Boike and Chris Riley round out the liturgical team with music each weekend. Outside the sanctuary, the parish Men's Club and the Council of Catholic Women (CCW) gather monthly for fellowship, business meetings, and service projects.
Service to the Wider Macon Community
Holy Spirit's mission statement commits the parish to developing community service and promoting the sanctity of all life. Four partnerships put that commitment into practice across Middle Georgia.
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Daybreak. The parish supports Depaul USA's Daybreak Day Resource Center, where an average of 100 homeless men and women find a warm refuge each weekday with showers, meals, mail services, and case management.
- Family Advancement Ministries (FAM). A diocesan social service organization, FAM walks with families through crises of housing, finances, and relationships, working toward stability and self-sufficiency.
- The Kolbe Center. Located at 833 Walnut Street in downtown Macon, the Kolbe Center assists women facing crisis pregnancies in accordance with Catholic teaching and offers education on the Church's pro-life mission in line with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
- Rachel's Vineyard. The parish promotes Rachel's Vineyard weekend retreats for healing after abortion.
Project Linus
Within the parish itself, the Project Linus chapter has donated more than thirty-two handmade blankets to the Macon chapter since October of the previous fall alone. Volunteers gather periodically in the Social Hall with yarn, fabric, and sewing supplies; a basket in the narthex collects donated materials throughout the year, and anyone interested in picking up a hook or pair of needles is welcome to join.
RCIA, Stewardship, and Parish Council
Adults who want to learn more about the Catholic faith, including those preparing for Baptism, Confirmation, or full reception into the Church, are invited into the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Inquiries are directed to the parish office, and the program typically begins each fall with catechumen and candidate sessions running through Easter. Periodic adult education offerings and seasonal study groups round out the formation program; the weekly bulletin lists current classes.
The Parish Council meets monthly to advise the pastor and shepherd the life of the parish, with elections held each spring among registered members. The stewardship page on the parish site lays out ways to share time and talent, and the parish office coordinates online giving and bulletin submissions.
Coming to Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit Catholic Church is located at 4074 Chambers Road on the south side of Macon, set on the original 1965 parcel acquired by St. Joseph Parish. Weekend Mass is celebrated in English on Saturday evening at 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. Daily Mass is offered Monday through Thursday at 9:00 a.m., preceded by Adoration at 8:00 a.m. and the Rosary at 8:25 a.m. First Friday Mass follows the same 9:00 a.m. hour. Saturday confessions are heard from approximately 4:00 to 4:45 p.m. Mass is livestreamed on Facebook for those at home or unable to travel, and weekly bulletins, Mass intentions, and contact information for the parish office are all published on the parish site.