Assumption Catholic celebrates centennial
By Lara Patangan
Resident Community News
Assumption Catholic Church celebrates its 100th birthday this year, and parishioners praise its many gifts – the most significant being a place they call home.
“The first time I visited Assumption was on my day off serving in another parish. I came in my lay clothes and sat in the back,” said Father Fred Parke, Assumption’s pastor for the past 10 years. “As I was sitting there I felt like I was home. I think a lot of people feel that way about Assumption.”
A similar sentiment is shared by Angie Fuller, principal of Assumption school, which sits adjacent to the church and is only a decade away from its own centennial celebration.
“There is a feeling you get when you walk on campus,” Fuller explained. “I have worked at other Catholic schools and I feel more at home here than anywhere else.”
That feeling is one the parish intends to celebrate all year long with both school and church activities, including a dinner theater, marriage vow renewals, an alumni dance and many other events that will culminate with a centennial social at the Hyatt Regency on Oct. 5 with a special mass and reception the following day.
Currently, there are 2,300 to 2,400 families in the parish, and the school has more than 600 students ranging from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade and a waiting list for almost every grade, which Parke calls “extraordinary.”
He credits the atmosphere of both church and school to the feeling of family – a gift that promises to endure long after the party is over.
“A very warm experience has been created here,” Parke said. “We are a family.”
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