Special to The Post-Searchlight

The members of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bainbridge will soon receive a visit from their relatively new diocesan bishop, the Right Rev. Gregory Hartmayer, OFM Conv (Order of Friars Minor Conventional). Hartmayer will visit churches in both Decatur and Seminole counties Sunday, Oct. 14.

Hartmayer was ordained as a Catholic bishop for the Diocese of Savannah in October 2011, and still smiles with amusement when people refer to him as their “new” bishop. This will be his first visit to the southwest region of the 90-county diocese, which encompasses most of southern Georgia.

Hartmayer will celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation for 14 youths of St. Joseph Catholic Church, during an outdoor Mass (Catholic worship service) at 11 a.m. The parishioners of St. Joseph will be celebrating their third-annual fall harvest festival, following Mass. The festival will include a covered-dish dinner featuring a variety of ethnic and national cuisine, a presentation of Pacific Islands dance, and games and music all afternoon.

Hartmayer was ordained a Fransican priest in 1979, and before being named a bishop by Pope Benedict XVI, served more than 30 years in both parish ministry and various aspects of Catholic education, in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.