We are physically located at:
172 Fourth Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30313
Phone: (404) 892-6759
On Campus Post Office Address:
351 Ferst Dr. NW
Atlanta, GA 30332
Attn: The Georgia Tech Catholic Center
Brandon D’Arienzo, Mechanical Engineering, 4th Year
Difficult times test a community’s resolve. At the Georgia Tech Catholic Center, thanks to our amazing FOCUS missionaries, chaplain Fr. Branson Hipp and Deacon Paul Nacey, and our legion of student volunteers and servers, our resolve to spread the love of Christ has strengthened.
Regular chapel cleaning, new outdoor spaces to host socially distanced small groups, and an improved sound system to reach the lobby are a few examples of steps we have taken to continue in-person ministry. Fr. Branson and another student spread mulch behind the patio to expand our outdoor space, making room for in-person discipleship and bible studies. While helping hang outdoor lights over the new area, I met a transfer student, who is now in my Bible Study. He expressed to me how grateful he is to be surrounded by other college students on fire with their faith. Â
I had a blast with Welcome Week this semester. Monday was virtual game night. We split up into small breakout rooms over a video call, each with a host, and got to see new and old faces alike. We racked our brains to determine words in Scattergories, attempted to figure out what on God’s green earth people were drawing in Pictionary, and then played a huge game of Mafia, which is a game of trust and secret identities. For some unknown reason, Fr. Branson suspected and accused me of being part of the Mafia, so I was targeted, but he quickly followed me to the grave.
Tuesday was virtual trivia night, hosted by the Knights of Columbus. We were able to further develop the new friendships we made on Monday over difficult questions. On Wednesday, we wrote letters to the elderly to comfort them as they undoubtedly face a particularly lonely time. Thursday, we hosted Renew in the chapel with adoration and praise and worship music. Finally, on Friday, things got competitive as we played lawn games outside, such as spike ball and cornhole. Throughout the week, it was evident the CSO board dedicated many hours preparing safe, fun events to incorporate all. I am incredibly appreciative of every member of this community, a community built on hope: the secret weapon of the Christian.
Alyssa Behrend, Computer Science, 2nd Year
At the end of a very long day, I sat in a pew. Looking up and around at all the paintings covering the walls and the ceilings, I felt a sense of peace and a sense of home. I sat and recalled the events of the day.
Rising early, I stood in the same church, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., and witnessed so many of the faithful praying for life for all. Crowds moved past famous buildings and museums, and we all filed together in front of the Washington Monument. We stood shoulder to shoulder listening to the speakers at the rally and commented on posters people held above their heads (especially the Baby Yoda ones). We encouraged each other though the aches and pains of standing all day. Ushered forward, we in the masses marched to the Capitol, praying, chanting, and cheering for life.
In our spare time, after all the commotion of the day, a small group of us retreated back to the basilica. Even though I was exhausted and felt so achy, I felt profound peace and belonging to the Father. He called me His and to rest with him.Â
This also reminded me of why I attended the March for Life. We marched for the dignity of all. From the moment of our conception, we are called beloved. We are known by the Father. We are cherished and wanted, no matter the stage of life. We are not a cluster of cells that happen by chance. There are people who do not know this, and we have the duty to proclaim the truth. That truth is that you have been loved since you became a thought in God’s mind. You do not have to earn it, and there is nothing you can do to change it. He has a will and a purpose for your life as well as every other person.Â
That’s why I marched. To defend life for those who cannot. To stand for the dignity of the human person. To show others how important this is. To act in love. And where there is love, there is life.
A.T. Aucoin, Mechanical Engineering, 2nd Year
Sunday January 19, 2020
“In a society like this, nothing new can be created, if not with a life… Only a different and new life can revolutionize structures, initiatives, relationships–in short, everything.” – Luigi Giussani
Ready or not, we’re back for another semester at Georgia Tech. And, yes, the rumors are true – school is rough. With classes and commitments, finding ways to integrate faith into your daily routine can be exceedingly difficult. When you’re up late grinding on work, taking time for daily mass or stopping by adoration seems rather extraneous and admittedly may not help you understand your electrostatics homework any more than before. However, through all my school and non-school related struggles, I found the need to establish a network of people to call my people – people who share my values, who push me to be better, and who can form a community that I need.Â
Sometimes it’s hard to know what community to enter or how to seek it out. The first week of anything can be exceptionally overwhelming with new people and choices surrounding you. Who will be your study buddies? Who will you ask for late night homework questions? Who will you turn to when you don’t see the results you wanted? In a society where people can easily isolate themselves through screens, going through the motions, or simply being “too busy” for others, we must be intentional in choosing to live life in communion with others.
Under these circumstances, I found myself planning Welcome Week alongside the rest of the Catholic Student Organization (CSO) board in the hopes of helping students find a faith-filled community at Georgia Tech. We kicked the week off with an oh-so-liturgically-appropriate Epiphany Party, followed by a “highly competitive” round of trivia on Tuesday, then some Wednesday sandwich making for the local homeless, lots of Thursday praising and worshipping, and a finale of Friday fires and smores. All this to say, it was a busy first week of the semester. Food was shared, individuals ventured into our community, events fostered wholesome fun and we could all call Welcome Week Spring 2020 a success.
Yet, community doesn’t manifest itself solely through organized gatherings. Living with community is a persistent call to friendship, to living life fully, and to being present to others whenever possible. It’s crying on the Catholic Center porch during the first month of college finding a new face bringing you tissues. It’s dying laughing during bible study when you hear another girl’s “high” of the week. It’s squading up to road trip two hours just to pick some apples. The community I’ve found through the Catholic Center extends outside its walls, giving me support in every facet of life. While Welcome Week was an absolute blast, I am so excited to be back for another semester where I can live life abundantly in communion with other faith-seeking, fun-loving, crazy-yet-amazing individuals.
Welcome to the Georgia Tech Catholic Center! We are excited that you are interested in ways to get involved. In the sections below you will find information about the many activities that are hosted at the Georgia Tech Catholic Center as well as the contact information for those in charge of the events. To get Buzzcard access to the building, please use the link below to register with us.
Please follow this link to register with the Georgia Tech Catholic Center!
Good Tidings
The Good Tidings is the weekly newsletter that is sent out to students so that they can be well informed about the events being hosted at the Georgia Tech Catholic Center. Sign up link is available on the register link.
Liturgy
Volunteer to Serve at Mass
Want to play a key role in helping the Georgia Tech community celebrate the liturgy? Want to keep on serving for the mass like you did in your home parish? Want something to do on a Sunday? Sign up for a server position! We are always looking for more people to volunteer. Training is very quick and usually through personal appointment. Become an Usher and be the welcoming face that invites fellow students and Catholics from around the Atlanta area into mass. Be a Lector and proclaim the living Scripture in the Liturgy of the Word. Become an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, and administer Christ himself to the people. Train as an Altar Server, serving a vital role in the execution of the mass and immersing yourself in participation with the liturgy. Please prayerfully consider serving the Catholic Center in a liturgy position. If you are interested please contact me, Kevin Thompson at liturgy@gtcatholic.org
Adoration
The Georgia Tech Catholic Center is able to offer adoration with a break for Mass/Communion Service at 5:30 pm each day at many different times throughout the week. Those are Monday 6 am – 10pm, Tuesday 6 am – 4pm and then 6 pm – 11pm, Wednesday 6 am – 5pm and then 7 pm – 11 pm, Thursday 6 am – 5pm, and Friday is 6 am – 5 pm. This amazing service helps so that students have the opportunity to visit Jesus Christ whenever time may be available in their schedule. If you would like to sign up for a weekly Holy Hour in which you can help us provide this opportunity again please contact me, Kevin Thompson at liturgy@gtcatholic.org
Outreach
The Outreach Pillar of the CSO focuses primarily on getting members involved in spiritual and corporeal works of mercy according to the Catholic Church. Within the Outreach pillar are sub-pillars that coordinate service events for our Elderly & Sick Ministry, Pro-life Ministry, Homeless Ministry, and On-Campus Outreach.
There are tons of ways to get involved in any of these ministries! For our elderly/sick outreach, we visit cancer patients at Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) once a month on Sunday to play games, sing, and talk with the patients. Our pro-life pillar seeks to promote the sanctity of life at all stages on campus. Involvement in this ministry can range from protesting outside an abortion clinic to helping make care packages for pregnancy crisis centers. For the homeless ministry, we’ve made sandwiches for the Atlanta Union Mission and helped serve lunch at St. Francis’ Table. Lastly, the On-Campus outreach pillar works closely with the FOCUS missionaries to promote a catholic presence and spread the love of Christ on campus through tabling on Skiles Walkway with the missionaries.
Faith Formation
Looking to learn more about your faith and grow deeper in your relationship with Christ? The Faith Formation pillar offers a variety of programs to help you on this path.
Sundays 1:00-2:15pm: Rite of Christian Intiation for Adults (RCIA) classes cover the basics of the faith, and are targeted at anyone, Catholic or not, who wants to learn more about what we believe and why. This program is particularly aimed at anyone interested in joining the Church or receiving any of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation). Tuesdays 7:30-8:30pm: Theology of the Body (TOB) is the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage, family, gender, sexuality, and more, as developed by Pope St. John Paul II. In this class, we discuss how to apply this beautiful teaching to college life. Thursday evenings: Twice a month, we have Renew, a night of Eucharistic adoration with praise and worship music. Once a month, this is preceded by social time and a talk.  We also offer community retreats once or twice a semester, including community building retreats, silent retreats, men’s and women’s retreats, and discernment retreats. For specific dates for any of these events, see the calendar!
Community Life
Interested in getting involved with the GTCC community? Here at the Georgia Tech Catholic Center, we have so many awesome ways to get involved as well as serve this community! Our community life pillars host everything from Community Dinners and Intramurals, to Game Nights and Swing Dances, to so much more!
Our regular events include—
- Sunday food events after mass: coffee & donuts, pancake breakfast, community dinners, and sundae nights, typically one each Sunday
- Rec/Greek/Athlete/Freshmen/Women/Men’s Events: typically 1-2 per month
- Swing dances: typically 1-2 throughout the semester
- Bonfires: 2-3 per semester
- Fall Formal
- Community retreat each Fall semester
- Tailgates: 3-4 per Fall semester
- Valentine’s Day Dance in February
- Spring break mission trip
If interested in learning more, please don’t hesitate to reach out at communitylife@gtcatholic.org!
FOCUS Bible Study
At the Georgia Tech Catholic Center, we have five full-time FOCUS missionaries on campus! FOCUS provides weekly men’s and women’s Bible studies on campus where students can dive into the mystery of Christ’s love found in sacred Scripture within small-group communities. No matter who you are or where you are in your walk with Christ, you can find a Bible study to suit you based on your academic year, your involvement in Greek life, or your athletic team. Bible studies led by both students and missionaries take place every day of the week, so you can easily find one that fits your schedule. Email us at focus@gtcatholic.org to learn more about Bible studies!
Every Tuesday morning from 11 to 12, the FOCUS missionaries have a table on Skiles walkway to engage with students on campus and to advertise upcoming Catholic Center events. Come find us during that hour to hang out and join us in reaching out to your fellow college students!
Grad Student and Young Adult Professionals Bible Study
Meet in the basement of the Catholic Center on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm to gather in fellowship and study the word of God with your fellow Grad Students and Young Adult Professionals. For more information follow this link.