Members of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Northeast Gainesville are getting ready for a special celebration that's been decades in the making.

Next week parishioners will take part in the dedication of their current church. Until this past April, mass was celebrated in a facility that was originally built more than 40 years ago to serve as a school gym. The new church finally got the green light for construction in April 2008 and one year later it was complete.

"They would drive by and say you have a great school, didn't know you had a church," said St. Patrick's priest Father Bob McDermott. "And so this is our real opportunity I think for some growth because you can't help but notice this church as you drive down 16th Avenue."

The dedication ceremony takes place next Saturday August 15th. St. Patrick's Interparish School is also celebrating celebrating its 50th school year when classes start on Thursday.