St. Brendan the Navigator

About St. Brendan the Navigator Catholic Church

St. Brendan the Navigator is a Roman Catholic parish in Cumming, Georgia, in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, entrusted to the pastoral care of the Legionaries of Christ. The parish welcomes more than 3,500 families and offers Mass in English and Spanish, daily and weekend, alongside Eucharistic Adoration, a robust faith-formation program, and a permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit on its lower level. The parish website explicitly invites visitors of all backgrounds to become the 'hands and feet of Jesus' through outreach, education and community-building.

Parish History

Established on July 9, 2000, with its first Mass on Ash Wednesday, February 28, 2001, St. Brendan's grew from a 700-seat worship space into one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The growth prompted a six-phase Master Plan by Smith Boland Architects that reimagines the campus around a 1,400-seat Latin Cross church, Gothic Revival details, a bell tower, parish hall, youth center and gymnasium, amphitheater, expanded columbarium and a new Ministry Center. The parish has been entrusted to the Legionaries of Christ for the past 13 years.

• Founded July 9, 2000 (GCatholic)
• First Mass Feb 28, 2001 — Ash Wednesday — with Fr. Willie Hinkey
• 1,700 registered families at founding; more than 3,500 today
• Master Plan by Smith Boland Architects
• Parish entrusted to the Legionaries of Christ
• Located on 11.5 acres in Forsyth County

Clergy and Pastoral Staff

The parish is led by pastor Father Scott Reilly, LC, with Father Eric Nielsen, LC serving as Interim Parochial Vicar. Three deacons — Luis Carlos Lorza (also Director of Liturgy), Bob Grimaldi, and Bill Lange (Facilities Director) — provide ordained ministry and parish service. Lay staff lead faith formation, communications, business, the columbarium, and the parish preschool.

• Father Scott Reilly, LC — Pastor
• Father Eric Nielsen, LC — Interim Parochial Vicar
• Deacon Luis Carlos Lorza — Director of Liturgy
• Deacon Bob Grimaldi
• Deacon Bill Lange — Facilities Director
• Sandy Spera — Pastoral Associate, Sacrament Coordinator (Baptism & Marriage)
• Dennis Mallon — Business Manager
• Cristina Cryan — Parish Secretary
• Shannon Meister — Communications & Parish Life
• Music Director position listed as Now Hiring

Mass and Liturgical Schedule

St. Brendan offers one of the most expansive Mass schedules in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Daily Mass is celebrated Monday through Saturday at 8:30am, with additional evening Masses on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 6:00pm and a Spanish Mass on Wednesday at 7:00pm. The weekend schedule includes five English Masses on Sunday and a Saturday Vigil in both English and Spanish.

• Daily Mass Mon–Sat 8:30am
• Tue/Thu/Fri 6:00pm
• Wed 7:00pm (Spanish)
• Sat Vigil 5:00pm (English) and 7:00pm (Spanish)
• Sunday: 7:00, 9:00, 11:00am, 12:30pm, 5:00pm (English) + 2:00pm (Spanish)
• Livestreamed Masses: M–Sat 8:30am; Sunday 9:00am and 2:00pm (Spanish)

Faith Formation and Youth Ministry

Faith formation at St. Brendan is organized across the full age range, with separate English and Spanish tracks. The parish uses branded programs — SAIL for K-6, WayPoint for middle school, and LightHouse for high school — alongside a dedicated Adult Faith Formation office.

• SAIL — K-6 Faith Formation (Cynthia Cusimano)
• WayPoint — Middle School Youth Ministry (Chloe Briscoe)
• LightHouse — High School Youth Ministry & Confirmation (Daniel Debuys)
• Adult Faith Formation (Don Conklin)
• Hispanic Ministries and Faith Formation in Spanish (Veronica Ruiz)
• Youth Faith Formation Director: Genesis Torrens

Sacraments

The parish prepares and celebrates the seven sacraments across the life of its members. Baptism preparation, marriage coordination, First Communion, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick and Reconciliation all flow through dedicated staff.

• Baptism (Infants to 7) — Sandy Spera (English) / Deacon Luis Carlos Lorza (Spanish)
• Baptism (Children 8+) — Don Conklin, x26
• Baptism (Teens/Adults) — Genesis Torrens, x13
• Marriage — Sandy Spera, x27
• Confirmation — Daniel Debuys
• Anointing of the Sick & Homebound visits available
• Reconciliation — Tue/Wed 4–6pm, Sat 9–11am

Shroud of Turin Exhibit at St. Brendan

A distinctive feature of St. Brendan's is its permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit, located on the lower level of the main church in the Conference Room, with storyboards on the history of the Shroud. Admission is free and the exhibit is open whenever the church is open; guided tours can be arranged for groups of 8 to 15.

• Located on the lower level of the church in the Conference Room
• Free admission, self-guided
• Guided tours for groups of 8–15 (call 770-205-7969)
• Tied to the parish's Jubilee 2025 pilgrim program and Pilgrim Doors at the Chapel of the Resurrection

Parish Facilities — Master Plan and Columbarium

The Smith Boland Master Plan organizes the campus growth in six phases. Current and planned facilities include a new Gothic Revival church facade with bell tower, an enlarged narthex and entry plaza, a 50-seat chapel, a 50-seat meeting room, a 50-seat chapel, a columbarium (with phase V expansion), a parish hall with commercial kitchen, an expanded ministry center, a youth center and gymnasium, an amphitheater, and a playground.

• Phase I — new facade, bell tower, narthex, 50-seat chapel, 50-seat meeting room, columbarium, Ministry Center
• Phase II — Parish Hall with commercial kitchen and admin offices, enlarged playground
• Phase III — Expand church to seat 1,400 around a Latin Cross plan, classroom expansion
• Phase IV — Youth Center & Gymnasium, Amphitheater
• Phase V — Columbarium expansion
• Phase VI — Educational building expansion
• Columbarium coordinated by Carrie Meersman

Preschool and Pre-K

St. Brendan's operates its own Preschool on the parish campus under Preschool Director Julie Aleksandrowicz (x19), giving parish families an on-site early-childhood Catholic program.

• Preschool Director: Julie Aleksandrowicz, 770-205-7969 x19
• [email protected]

Knights of Columbus and Community Groups

St. Brendan is the home council for Knights of Columbus Council #12942. The Knights support the parish through service and fraternal activities, with officer installations held at the parish and continued growth documented on the council's site.

• Council #12942 — St. Brendan the Navigator
• Council tied to the parish since founding (first Mass 2001 under Fr. Willie Hinkey)

Visit, Pilgrimage, and Jubilee 2025

As part of Jubilee 2025, St. Brendan offers a structured pilgrim visit program. Pilgrims may visit anytime the church is open (9am–9pm). The Pilgrim Doors open into the Chapel of the Resurrection, and large groups can arrange guided tours of the Shroud Exhibit and the campus by calling 770-205-7969 or emailing [email protected].

• Open 9am–9pm for pilgrim visits
• Pilgrim Doors into the Chapel of the Resurrection
• Group tours of Shroud Exhibit by appointment
• Contact: 770-205-7969 / [email protected]

Plan Your Visit — Practical Info

Plan Your Visit pages on the parish site guide first-time visitors to Mass, confession, the chapel, the Shroud Exhibit, and parking. The Plan Your Visit and Jubilee 2025 pages duplicate much of the same practical information for newcomers.

• Address: 4633 Shiloh Road, Cumming, GA 30040
• Phone: 770-205-7969
• Office Hours: Mon–Thu 9am–4pm; Fri 9am–1pm