St. John Neumann
Catholic Church

August 27, 2006

During all Masses on July 29 and 30, members of the St. John Neumann Building Committee presented the proposed “master plan” for the parish’s new facilities. Following Mass, committee members were on hand to answer questions and to collect written comments or questions. Two “listening sessions” gave parishioners more opportunities to ask questions about the plan and provide feedback to the Building Committee. The following are responses to the most common questions and concerns we heard.

Does St. John Neumann parish really need to build a larger church?
Yes, according to three consultants who were recommended by the Archbishop to look at our parish needs. In separate visits, each one told us that what SJN needs is a larger church—not only because of expected parish growth, but also to meet the needs of the people already here. Our church, built for 800 families, now serves close to 3,000 families. There are 11 Masses each weekend. Three Mass locations are used at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday due to the large number of worshippers, and all are crowded. Three priests must cover all 11 Masses. In all likelihood, SJN parish will not be able to keep three priests due to the decline in vocations. We may have only two priests, or perhaps one, in the not too distant future. We need a larger church so we can reduce the number of Masses and give our priests a manageable schedule as well as foster unity around the altar of the Lord.

What makes the new building plan a better one for our parish?
The previous building program was designed to meet several of our facility needs. It included a chapel, meeting rooms, a parish hall, a dedicated youth center, and space for the music ministry. It stopped short of what has always been our most pressing need, however—a larger church. The new building program will provide all of these needed facilities. The plan provides something to benefit everyone in the parish, and we feel it will help unite us as parishioners in our growing congregation.

Will the recent relocation of the Hispanic mission impact our need for a larger church?
Probably not. The new mission in Lilburn, Our Lady of the Americas, brought a large congregation with it from Doraville. From what we understand, the church is at or near its capacity already. While some parishioners may choose to join the Mission, our growth will continue and we will need the larger church.

A lot of detail was shared in the “master plan.” Does that mean decisions have already been made?
No, not at all. The “master plan” is nothing more than a “footprint” showing how the facilities we need might be arranged on our current property. The Building Committee thought it was important to show that we could build all of the facilities we need on the land we have, despite the fact that almost half of it is in a flood plain and cannot be used for buildings. A lot of the property is already taken up with the current church and the school. Still, the architect was able to position a church big enough for 1,100 people on this site, along with a courtyard connecting it to the current church, which would become our parish hall. His master plan also makes the church easy to access from the handicapped and general parking areas.
We do have a good idea of what the basic shape of the church will be, however. The architect has proposed a structure that fits the property well and, like our present church, promotes the feeling that we are a worship community where the focus is on the altar. It is significant that the new plan includes features that link SJN’s proud past with our exciting future.