‘It’s like coming home’: St. James The Less Catholic Church rededication

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The rededication of St. James Catholic Church in Savannah happened Sunday morning.

“Today was the dedication of a new altar, when we put a new altar in a catholic church it needs to be dedicated, but we are also celebrating coming back into the church,” said Pastor of St. James Catholic Church, Father Daniel Firmin.

“This started in 2019 just before COVID. We had a master planning process, we had to take a break for two to three years but it really came together beautifully and it did make a space that - transformed this space really for the church into something beautiful,” said church architect, Brian Felder.

“It’s rewarding to see everybody here today and to see the joy on everybody’s faces. I think so many people, their hearts are in this church. They give to this church freely and to see what’s been accomplished, it just brings joy to them,” said President of Garbutt Construction, Sean Moxley.

“Church is always about the people and how they worship and what they feel. The building should be inspirational and transcendental too, and I think all the beautification helps with that process,” said Felder.

“We worshipped in a gym for ten months and now we’re back in a church, so it’s a completely different feel, but it was well worth the wait. The whole backdrop of the alter is new, the statues are new, the different shrines on either side are new, the flooring is all new,” said Firmin.

“Anything that brings people to Christ we’re grateful to be a part of and this is a huge milestone for the community. You have so many people who have so much talent, and to bring them all together, it’s a humbling experience, it takes a lot of effort and we appreciate all that effort that those people put into it,” said Moxley.

“The church is a special place where people are baptized, where they’re married, where they come to meet the Lord each and every week, and so to be back in here, into this space that means so much to so many people, things that affect their lives all through out their life have happened here in this space and so to be back, it’s like coming home,” said Firmin.