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Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta

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The Archdiocese of Atlanta (Latin: Archdiœcesis Atlantensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in northern Georgia in United States. The archdiocese is led by a prelate archbishop, who also serves as pastor of the mother church, the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta.[1] As of 2023, the archbishop of Atlanta is Gregory Hartmayer.

Archdiocese of Atlanta

Archdiœcesis Atlantensis
Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryGeorgia (U.S. state) 69 counties in northern Georgia
Ecclesiastical provinceProvince of Atlanta
Coordinates33°46′23″N 84°23′15″W / 33.77306°N 84.38750°W / 33.77306; -84.38750
Statistics
Area55,521 km2 (21,437 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2020)
7,500,000
1,200,000 (16.0%)
Parishes102
Schools18
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedJuly 2, 1956; 68 years ago (1956-07-02)
CathedralCathedral of Christ the King
Patron saintImmaculate Heart of Mary
Pope Pius X
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
ArchbishopGregory John Hartmayer
Auxiliary BishopsJoel Matthias Konzen
Bernard Shlesinger
John Nhàn Trần
Map
Website
archatl.com

Territory

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The Archdiocese of Atlanta covers 69 counties in northern Georgia. The cathedral is the metropolitan see of the Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Atlanta, which covers Georgia,[1] South Carolina, and North Carolina. It includes the following suffragan dioceses:

In 2020, the archdiocese included 102 parishes and missions with 1,200,000 registered Catholics.[2]

History

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Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Downtown Atlanta.

1776 to 1850

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Like most of the American colonies, the British Province of Georgia enacted laws to bar Catholic settlement. After the American Revolution and the enactment of the US Constitution, the restrictions on Catholics in Georgia ended.[3] The Vatican in 1784 created the Prefecture Apostolic of the United States, removing the small population of American Catholics from the jurisdiction of the church hierarchy in Great Britain.[4]

Five years later, in 1789, the Vatican converted the prefecture into the Diocese of Baltimore, with jurisdiction over the entire United States.[5] The first Catholic presence in north Georgia was a log cabin mission church in Locust Grove, build in 1800 by a small group of Catholic settlers from Maryland.[6]

The Vatican erected the Diocese of Charleston in 1820, covering Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.[7] The first Catholic church in Atlanta, Immaculate Conception, was dedicated in 1848.[6]

1850 to 1956

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See also: Diocese of Savannah

The Vatican in 1850 established the Diocese of Savannah, with jurisdiction over Georgia and most of Florida.[1][8] By the start of the American Civil War in 1860, there were approximately 4,000 Catholics in Georgia. In 1864, General William T. Sherman entered Atlanta with the Union Army. His military campaign had been characterized by the burning of towns in Georgia. Reverend Thomas O’Reilly, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Atlanta, met with Sherman and convinced him to spare not only his church, but four Protestant churches as well.[3]

In 1880, the first Catholic infirmary opened in Atlanta, later to become Saint Joseph Hospital.[6] In 1937, in recognition of the economic and population growth of Atlanta, Pope Pius XI renamed the Diocese of Savannah as the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta.[8]

1956 to 1963

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On July 2, 1956, Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Atlanta, taking northern Georgia from what now became the Diocese of Savannah .[1] The pope designated the Co-Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta as the cathedral church of the new diocese and named Auxiliary Bishop Francis Hyland of Savannah-Atlanta as the first bishop.[1][9] Hyland retired in 1961 due to poor health.

On February 10, 1962, Pope John XXIII elevated the Diocese of Atlanta to the Archdiocese of Atlanta. He designated the Dioceses of Savannah, Charleston and Raleigh, along with the Territorial Abbey of Mary Help of Christians in North Carolina, as its suffragans [1] The pope named Bishop Paul Hallinan of Charleston as the first archbishop of Atlanta.[10]

1963 to 1988

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Hallinan's first act as archbishop was to order the racial integration of all Catholic institutions under his jurisdiction.[11] He also sent priests and nuns to Alabama to participate in the Selma to Montgomery marches with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Hallian encouraged Atlanta Catholics to open their neighborhoods "so Negroes can exercise the right of every American to live where he wishes."[11]

During his six years as archbishop, Hallinan opened several churches and missions, as well as the John Lancaster Spalding Catholic Center at the University of Georgia. He moved St. Joseph's Boys Home from Washington, Georgia, to Atlanta and renamed it the Village of St. Joseph, for both boys and girls. He also established The Georgia Bulletin, the weekly archdiocesan newspaper.[12] Hallinan died in 1968.

The second archbishop of Atlanta was Thomas Donnellan from the Diocese of Ogdensburg, named by Pope Paul VI in 1968.[13] During Donnellan's 19-year tenure, the number of Catholics in north Georgia rose from 50,000 in 1968 to over 133,000 by 1987. In 1970, Donnellan barred new enrollments in the archdiocese's Catholic schools. At that time, many parents were pulling their children out of local public school systems due to opposition to racial desegregation. In 1971, Paul VI erected the Diocese of Charlotte, making it another suffragan diocese of Atlanta.[5] Six years later, Paul VI removed the suffragan status of the Territorial Abbey of Mary Help of Christian.[14] These actions established the present configuration of the Metropolitan Province of Atlanta. Donnellan died in 1987.

1988 to 2010

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In 1988, Pope John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop Eugene Marino of the Archdiocese of Washington as archbishop of Atlanta, the first African-American Catholic archbishop.[1] However, in August 1990 Vickie Long, a lay minister in the archdiocese, stated that she and Marino were married and had been in a sexual relationship for the previous two years.[15] The Vatican forced Marino to resign as archbishop in July 1990.[1]

To replace Marino, John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop James Lyke of the Diocese of Cleveland in 1991 as the next archbishop of Atlanta.[16][17] However, Lyke died in 1992. The pope then selected Bishop John Donoghue from the Diocese of Charlotte to serve as archbishop.[18] On taking office, Donoghue started building more schools to accommodate the growing population of the archdiocese. He also provided more Spanish-speaking priests for the increased Hispanic population.[19]

The archdiocese in September 2003 sued the Capilla de la Fe (Chapel of the Faith) network of churches in Atlanta to bar them from claiming to be Catholic. The archdiocese said the Capilla de la Fe churches were duping new Hispanic immigrants into thinking they were attending an archdiocesan church.[20] A judge in October 2003 permanently banned Capilla de la Fe from calling itself Catholic.[21]

In April 2004, Donoghue sent an edict to the priests in the archdiocese forbidding women from performing the traditional foot washing ceremony on Holy Thursday.[22] When Donoghue retired in 2004, John Paul II appointed Bishop Wilton Gregory from the Diocese of Belleville as archbishop of Atlanta.[23] In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named Luis Zarama as the second auxiliary bishop of Atlanta.[24]

2010 to present

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Cardinal Gregory

In 2010, the archdiocese said that the population of Catholics in the archdiocese had grown from 30,840 in 1960 to 292,300 in 1998 to 900,000 in 2010.[25] The increase was fueled by Catholics moving to Atlanta from other states and nations, and from newcomers to the church.[2][26] About 11 percent of all metropolitan Atlanta residents were Catholic.

The archdiocese in 2011 was given half of the literary rights to the 1939 novel Gone With the Wind. The donor was the estate of Joseph Mitchell, the nephew of author Margaret Mitchell. The novel and its film version had been criticized for its depiction of African-Americans.[27]

In 2013, Monsignor David Talley was installed as an auxiliary bishop of Atlanta.[28][29] In 2014, Gregory stated that the archdiocese would not allow guns in its churches, except for military and civil service personnel who were required to have them.[30][31][32] Gregory said that carrying guns in churches places vulnerable individuals, such as children, the disabled, and the elderly, at risk.[31][32]

In 2014, Gregory was criticized after the archdiocese used $2.2 million from a bequest to build a new archbishop's residence in the Buckhead section of Atlanta.[33] The residence was also designed to also serve as a banquet and conference facility.[34][a] Gregory later apologized to parishioners of the archdiocese, saying that he had "failed to consider the impact on the families throughout the Archdiocese who, though struggling to pay their mortgages, utilities, tuition and other bills, faithfully respond year after year to my pleas to assist with funding our ministries and services". He announced that the archdiocese would sell the residence, although he had moved into it only three months earlier.[34][39][40] Later in 2014, the archdiocese sold the Buckhead property for $2.6 million, and Gregory moved into a more modest home, purchased for $440,000, in Smyrna.[41]

In 2018, a group of Catholics petitioned Gregory to remove the so-called "pro-LGBT" Monsignor Henry Gracz of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Atlanta from his position as a spiritual advisor to victims of sexual abuse. The group accused Gracz of contravening Catholic teaching. Gregory declined the petition, saying, "Msgr. Gracz is following the admonition of Pope Francis to accompany people on the periphery of society. His priestly heart is not closed to those who find themselves misunderstood or rejected."[42] In 2019, Gregory became archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington.[43]

Pope Francis appointed Bishop Gregory Hartmayer from Savannah as the next archbishop of Atlanta in 2020.[44] In 2021, a former archdiocesan employee, Mary Elkins, sued the archdiocese, claiming that she had been terminated due to age discrimination and her health issues.[45]

As of 2023, Hartmeyer is the current archbishop of Atlanta.

Reports of sexual abuse

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Kenneth Joseph Cassity, a youth worker at the Church of St. Ann in Marietta, pleaded guilty in 2003 to fondling two young brothers between 1999 and 2000 at the church rectory. Cassity was sentenced to three years in prison.[46] The archdiocese settled a lawsuit brought by the boys' parents in 2003 for $10 million. The lawsuit revealed that St. Ann had been warned about Cassity a year before the abuse happened.[47]

In December 2018, a former altar boy filed a lawsuit against the archdiocese, alleging that it shielded a priest who sexually abused him. The plaintiff accused Reverend Douglas Edwards of Saint Joseph's Catholic Church in Dalton of abusing him during the 1970s.[48] Edwards allegedly molested the plaintiff eight to 10 times, The plaintiff said that Edwards would frequently bring boys to his house on Lake Allatoona in Acworth. Edwards died in 1997.[49]

In November 2018, the archdiocese released a list of 15 clergy with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors since 1956.[50] A second review of sexual abuse allegations in the archdiocese was completed by the Prosecuting Attorney's Council of Georgia in March 2023. The report listed 25 archdiocesan priests with credible accusations.[51]

Bishops

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Sacred Heart Basilica – Downtown Atlanta

Bishop of Atlanta

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Francis Edward Hyland (1956–1962)

Archbishops of Atlanta

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  1. Paul John Hallinan (1962–1968)
  2. Thomas Andrew Donnellan (1968–1987)
  3. Eugene Antonio Marino (1988–1990)
  4. James Patterson Lyke (1991–1992)
  5. John Francis Donoghue (1993–2004)
  6. Wilton Daniel Gregory (2004–2019), appointed archbishop of Washington (elevated to cardinal in 2020)
  7. Gregory John Hartmayer (2020–present)

Auxiliary Bishops of Atlanta

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Other archdiocesan priests who became bishops

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Eusebius J. Beltran (1960–1978), appointed bishop of Tulsa; later appointed archbishop of Oklahoma City in 1993

Schools

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See also: List of schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta

As of 2023, the total enrollment in Catholic schools in the archdiocese was 10,555 students.[52] As of 2023, the superintendent of the archdiocesan school system was Diane Starkovich.[53]

Kindergarten through grade 12 schools

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Grade 7 through 12 school

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Marist School – Brookhaven (independent)

High schools

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Georgia Bulletin

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The Georgia Bulletin, the official newspaper of the archdiocese, was established in 1963. It is published weekly (except for the second and last weeks of June, July, August, as well as the last week of December).[55]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The Atlanta Archdiocese had received a $15 million bequest[35] from the estate of Joseph Mitchell, a nephew of Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell.[36][37][38]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h The Archdiocese of Atlanta: A history, Strasbourg, France: Editions du Signe, Archdiocese of Atlanta, 2006.
  2. ^ a b "About the Archdiocese of Atlanta". June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Catholic Church". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  4. ^ "Our History". Archdiocese of Baltimore. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Charlotte (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "History". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta | Atlanta, GA. December 19, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  7. ^ "Charleston (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Savannah (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  9. ^ "Bishop Francis Edward Hyland [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "Archbishop Paul John Hallinan". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  11. ^ a b "Milestones". TIME Magazine. April 5, 1968. Archived from the original on April 7, 2008.
  12. ^ "Archbishop Hallinan Dies at 56". The Georgia Bulletin. March 29, 1968.
  13. ^ "Archbishop Thomas Andrew Donnellan [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  14. ^ "Belmont-Mary Help of Christians (Latin (or Roman) Territorial Abbey) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  15. ^ May, Lee (August 17, 1990). "Woman Claims She Married Archbishop". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  16. ^ Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXXIII. 1991. p. 527. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  17. ^ "Interim Archbishop of Atlanta Named to Post Permanently". New York Times. May 1, 1991. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  18. ^ "Archbishop John Francis Donoghue [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  19. ^ Seward, Christopher (November 13, 2011). "Former Atlanta Archbishop John Donoghue dies". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  20. ^ "Catholic Archdiocese Files Suit, Calling Church Network a Fraud". The New York Times. Associated Press. September 20, 2003. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  21. ^ McGough, Michael (October 31, 2003). ""Property of Rome"?". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  22. ^ "Women Excluded From Atlanta Foot Washing". AP NEWS. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  23. ^ "Wilton Daniel Cardinal Gregory [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  24. ^ "Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama Pasqualetto [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  25. ^ Nelson, Andrew (September 6, 2007). "Catholic Population Officially Leaps To 650,000". The Georgia Bulletin. Archdiocese of Atlanta. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2007.
  26. ^ The church in the south: Growing pains, St. Anthony Messenger, American Catholic.org/Catholic Extension.org, 2006, Beckwith, B., Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  27. ^ "'Gone with the Wind' rights were gift to Atlanta Catholic archdiocese". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  28. ^ Nelson, Andrew. "Pope Appoints Atlanta's Second Auxiliary Bishop". Georgia Bulletin. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  29. ^ Poole, Shelia (January 3, 2013). "Monsignor David P. Talley named auxiliary bishop for Atlanta Archdiocese". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  30. ^ Golden, Nichole (April 30, 2014). "Atlanta archbishop to restrict weapons in Catholic institutions". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  31. ^ a b Golden, Nichole (April 30, 2014). "Decrying the state's new gun law - Georgia Bulletin". georgiabulletin.org. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  32. ^ a b Sanburn, Josh (May 5, 2014). "The Religious Backlash to Georgia's Sweeping Gun Law". Time. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  33. ^ HENRY, RAY; ZOLL, RACHEL (April 2014). "Atlanta archbishop apologizes for posh residence". AP NEWS. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  34. ^ a b Gregory, W.D. (March 31, 2014), "Commentary: The archbishop responds", The Georgia Bulletin, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, retrieved May 26, 2014
  35. ^ "Distribution of $15 million Joseph Mitchell bequest", The Georgia Bulletin, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, April 3, 2014, retrieved May 26, 2014
  36. ^ Margaret Mitchell heir leaves estate to Archdiocese of Atlanta, Archdiocese of Atlanta, Smyrna, Georgia: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, August 16, 2012, Chivers, P., Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  37. ^ "Mitchell heir leaves millions, literary rights to Atlanta Archdiocese", Washington, D.C.: Catholic News Service, August 17, 2012, Keiser, G., Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  38. ^ Poole, S. (August 16, 2012). "Margaret Mitchell's nephew leaves estate to Atlanta Archdiocese". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  39. ^ "Atlanta archbishop apologizes over $2.2M mansion". USA Today. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  40. ^ "Archbishop Says He Plans to Sell $2 Million Home". New York Times. Associated Press. April 5, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
  41. ^ Murphy, Adam (March 11, 2015). "Atlanta's Archbishop sells Buckhead mansion, moves to Smyrna". WGCL-TV.
  42. ^ Poole, Shelia M.; Branch, Ben (September 4, 2018). "Catholic petitioners take offense to Atlanta pro-LGBTQ pastor's role". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  43. ^ "Pope Francis names Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory as new Archbishop of Washington". Georgia Bulletin. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  44. ^ "Pope names new Bishops for USA, Nigeria, Republic of Congo - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  45. ^ Poole, Shelia. "Atlanta Archdiocese sued in age and disability complaint". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  46. ^ Crouse, Julia. "Church Worker Sentenced in Sex Abuse Case". The Ledger. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  47. ^ Plummer, Don (December 19, 2003). "Archdiocese Settles Suit over Molestation of Teens". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  48. ^ Boone, Christian (December 21, 2018). "EXCLUSIVE: New lawsuit alleges sexual abuse by longtime Georgia priest". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  49. ^ "Lawsuit: Catholic church suppressed abuse reports in Georgia". FOX 5 Atlanta. December 20, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  50. ^ Padgett, Lauren (November 7, 2018). "Archdiocese of Atlanta releases names of priests accused of sexually assaulting children". 11Alive.com. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  51. ^ Parker, Alexandra (March 24, 2023). "Report names several Atlanta priests with "credible allegations of child abuse"". www.atlantanewsfirst.com. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  52. ^ "By the Numbers". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta | Atlanta, GA. January 3, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  53. ^ "Staff and Contact". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta | Atlanta, GA. December 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  54. ^ "Directory of Catholic Schools". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta | Atlanta, GA. July 6, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  55. ^ "Catholic Newspapers". Hesburgh Libraries Website. University of Notre Dame. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
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