The Catholic Church of St. Gabriel on Antioch Road in Fayetteville will have a special Mass at 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Day.

The Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Jimmy Adams, the parish pastor.

The special Mass will include the blessing of food, which those in attendance can bring for a blessing. This Thanksgiving tradition at the Catholic Church of St. Gabriel began years ago as people were invited to bring the bread and wine that would later be shared at the family dinner table.

This year will be extra special to the parishioners, a spokesperson said, as they look over the parish property and see land being prepared for a permanent church structure, currently underway. The new sanctuary and classrooms are scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2006.

The weekend following Thanksgiving will begin the Advent season in preparation for Christmas. The parish Advent penance service will be held on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. The Christmas schedule will be announced shortly.

The Catholic Church of St. Gabriel invites the public as well as non-registered Catholics in the area to attend these and other scheduled services.For more information, call the parish office, 770-461-0492.