Holy Spirit Catholic Church Website

_{Holy Spirit
Catholic Church}

_{Our Pastor: Father
Mike}

On July 1, 2005, Fr. Mike Ingram became the thirteenth pastor of Holy Spirit Catholic Church. In order to help you get to know Fr. Ingram and a little bit about his life journey prior to arriving at Holy Spirit, we offer you this biography.

Fr. Ingram is a life-long resident of Augusta, Georgia. He was born on November 28, 1954, the oldest of three sons born to Walter and Mary Ingram. He attended St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church and Elementary School. He graduated from Aquinas Catholic High School in 1972 and Georgia Southern College in 1976 earning a Bachelor of Science degree. Fr. Mike worked for several city-county governments before returning to Aquinas to teach and coach. He taught American History and Economics and coached the boy’s varsity basketball team and the girl’s varsity softball team.

Through his success and contacts in the Augusta area sports scene, Fr. Mike was offered the position of General Manager of Johannsen Sporting Goods where he worked for almost fifteen year. There he sold athletic equipment and designed uniforms for many recreation departments, high schools, and colleges in southeast Georgia and western South Carolina.

Throughout these years he also enjoyed officiating a variety of sports. He umpired thousands of baseball and softball games from youth leagues to high schools and colleges and even to national championship levels. He refereed football and basketball at the high school level and judged and timed track and field meets from the youth level up to national events. He is also a former N.C.A.A. water polo official. His greatest honor in the sports arena, however, was being elected into the A.S.A. Hall of Fame for his softball coaching and umpiring success!

After many years of active involvement in St. Mary’s Parish as a Eucharistic Minister, Lector, and Youth Leader, Fr. Mike discerned a vocation to the Priesthood. He applied and was accepted as a Seminarian for the Diocese of Savannah and was sent to Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to his studies Mike was the Pro-Life Coordinator for the seminary. He was also the recipient of two Knights of Columbus National Scholarships during his years at the seminary. After four years of formation, Fr. Mike was ordained a Priest on June 29, 2002 by Bishop J. Kevin Boland at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, Georgia.

Fr. Mike’s first assignment was as Parochial Vicar at St. Anne Catholic Church in Columbus, Georgia. He spent three years at St. Anne’s heavily involved with their elementary school and high school at the request of his pastor. He was also very instrumental in promoting a deanery-wide Catholic senior citizens group that loved to travel and also formed a Newman Society and Theology on Tap program for the Catholic college students in the Columbus area.

Fr. Mike is very excited and happy to be in Macon and looks forward to serving God’s people and their spiritual needs as Pastor of Holy Spirit Catholic Church for many years to come!