From a press release issued Monday:

St. Anne Catholic Church is pleased to announce a Groundbreaking Ceremony in honor of the beginning of construction for its new sanctuary. The ceremony will take place at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, October 2 at 10550 Ford Ave. It will begin with the celebration of Mass in the existing sanctuary. The Groundbreaking Ceremony will follow.

The event marks the culmination of many years of planning and development for St. Anne Catholic Church.

"I came to St. Anne’s twelve years ago, knowing the parish and the area were slowly and gradually growing," said Rev. Joseph Smith, pastor at St. Anne Catholic Church. "This is yet another milestone in the life of this parish and our community. We welcome the community of Richmond Hill to our Groundbreaking Ceremony as we build this structure to honor the God who is Father of us all."

The 26,000 square-foot sanctuary, designed by Boudreaux Group of Columbia, S.C., will accomodate the growing needs of the parrish. Construction by R. W. Allen, LLC of Augusta is projected to be complete by Christmas of 2015.