St. John Neumann Puts Faith into Action

What does a Catholic school in Lilburn have in common with an Air Reserve Base in Marietta?  Well, the answer is POPCORN!  Sure, kids and military personnel share a love for popcorn, but this connection goes a bit deeper.  There is a 62-year-old chapel that graces the grounds of Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta.  This historic chapel is the “heart and soul of Dobbins.”  The pews and walls of the chapel hold the engraved names of those Air National Guard and Air Reservists who have given their lives for our country. It has been the site for many military-style weddings, funerals, memorial ceremonies and religious services. 

This landmark chapel is marked for demolition.   The recent news story caught the attention of Reyn Harbour, a seventh grade student at St John Neumann Regional Catholic School in Lilburn.  He was upset at the idea of the chapel being torn down, knowing that his grandfather, a Navy pilot, would not be happy with the chapel’s demise.  Upon contacting Jaye Watson at 11 Alive News, Harbour found out that a fund had been established to save the chapel, and he knew that he could make a difference by asking his school for help.

Each January, Catholic Schools Week marks a very special celebration for Catholic schools.  St John Neumann School celebrates its heritage by hosting special activities for the students, staff and parents during this week.  A favorite of the students is the annual POPCORN sale during lunch.  The children are eager to purchase popcorn, especially knowing that the money raised goes to support a special charity. This year’s popcorn proceeds are going to the fund to save the historic chapel at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.   Two other school fundraisers have been designated for the chapel funds.  It may not be a significantly large amount of money, but it certainly comes from the hearts of the students hoping to make a difference. 

And IT WILL make a difference when combined with all the other generous contributions made to the fund to move and renovate the chapel.  It will certainly make a difference in the lives of the Air National Guard and Reservists and their families who have come to cherish this quaint chapel.  Although the chapel will no longer be able to remain on the grounds at Dobbins, plans are underway to have it moved to Gen. Lucius D. Clay National Guard Center, formally the Naval Air Station Atlanta.

St John Neumann School, located in Lilburn has a long history of reaching out to serve its community.  The school is very proud of its heritage and strives to live out its values – Faith, Knowledge, Family, Respect, Service.  That has been exemplified in the case of a seventh grader reaching out to save the “heart and soul” of Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

More information on the Dobbins chapel and donating to the fund to save it can be found at

http://www.dobbins.afrc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123296991 or by calling the Dobbins Chapel Foundation at (770) 455-3094 or (404)-558-0155.