St. Gerard relocates to Norcross (the statue, that is)
A 1,600-pound saint is on his way to Norcross, where he will stand in silent vigil, waiting for the rest of his church to catch up with him.
The 7 1/2-foot statue of St. Gerard and a marble Paschal candle stand are scheduled to arrive in Atlanta on Saturday -- the first elements of the relocation of an entire Roman Catholic church from Buffalo, N.Y., to Norcross.
Both will receive a ceremonial blessing by Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory during a 1 p.m. ceremony Saturday at the Cathedral of Christ the King, 2699 Peachtree Road.
These are the first items to make their way South as part of the unusual relocation of St. Gerard's Roman Catholic Church from Buffalo. Mary Our Queen Catholic Church plans to buy the church and move it -- pews and all -- to Norcross.
Mary Our Queen members had outgrown their existing space and wanted to build another church on nearby land. In the process of determining the cost of a new church, they decided to buy an entire church and move it to the Norcross site.
"People around the country are fascinated with it [the move]," said Pat Chivers, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese. "It's gaining momentum."
So far, about $3 million of the estimated $15 million cost has been raised.
