A Brief History of Ascension Parish:

The origins of Ascension Parish date back to January 1968, when the pastors of the five churches serving the Catholic people of Georgia, Vermont asked Bishop Robert F. Joyce to establish a mission there. This effort to unify the people into a community was approved by the Bishop. The parish of Holy Angels in nearby St. Albans was chosen as the "parent-parish" of the newly created mission with Msgr. Walter Charland serving as the first pastor. The first Mass was celebrated at 8:30 a.m. on April 21, 1968, at the Georgia Elementary School with more than 150 in attendance. The community of 125 families created its Pastoral Board; members included Dr. Henry Tulip, Chairman; Francis Jacques, Vice-Chairman; Burton Sorrell, Secretary; Francis Goulet, Treasurer; and Germaine Gregoire, Hosanna Montcalm and Mrs. Francis Goulet. On May 24, 1968, the parishioners chose the name "Ascension" for their newly formed community. As early as 1969, the members began requesting permission to build a church to house the quickly growing community. The request was denied but fund-raising began! A major turning point occurred in 1980 when the care of Ascension ws transferred to Fr. Philip LaMothe, the pastor of St. Ann's in Milton. Under his strong leadership and with a lively faith, the people of Ascension worked even harder to realize their hopes of building a church. The gift of land to the parish by Mrs. Doris LaPierre Samson in 1985 enabled the community to make another request to the Diocese for permission to erect a multipurpose building for Sunday Eucharist and CCD classes. Given the self-sufficiency and the determination of the people, Bishop John Marshall granted the request; he came to Georgia on September 22, 1987, for the groundbreaking ceremonies. And on March 26, 1988, the eve of Palm Sunday, Fr. LaMothe celebrated Mass for the first time in the new church. Bishop Marshall returned on May 12, 1988 to dedicate the church and to confirm 16 young people. Under the leadership of seven pastors, Msgr. Walter Charland, Fr. Raymond Giroux, Fr. Philip LaMothe, Fr. Bernard Gaudreau, Fr. Joseph Sullivan, Fr. John Feltz, and Fr. Francis Connors, the parish has grown and thrived. The people of Ascension continue to serve the Lord and one another with great love and dedication. As they celebrate their Thirtieth Anniversary, they enjoy the blessings of being a lively community of 292 families.