Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta

The Archdiocese of Atlanta is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in the United States.[1] Its territory contains Georgia's northern counties, including the capital of Atlanta.[1] The archdiocese is led by a prelate archbishop,[1] who also serves as pastor of the mother church, the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta.[1]

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
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 (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-Nhan Tran
Map
Website
archatl.com

The cathedral is the metropolitan see of the Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Atlanta, which covers Georgia,[1] South Carolina, and North Carolina. The archdiocese reported 102 parishes and missions, and 1,200,000 registered Catholics, as of 2020.[2]

History
Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Downtown Atlanta. Its pastor convinced Union General William Sherman not to burn the city's churches during the American Civil War.

Early history

Catholic settlement began in Georgia in the 1700's with the establishment of a Catholic mission by Catholic settlers who had moved to Georgia from Baltimore.[1] The territory of the present state of Georgia passed to the Prefecture Apostolic of the United States/Diocese of Baltimore in 1784, the Diocese of Charleston in 1820, and Diocese of Savannah in 1850. Pope Pius XI renamed the Diocese of Savannah to the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta on January 5, 1937.[3]

Establishment

Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Atlanta, taking its territory from the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta and concurrently changing the title of the latter back to Diocese of Savannah, on July 2, 1956.[1] He designated the Co-Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta as the cathedral church of the new diocese.[1]

Pope John XXIII elevated the Diocese of Atlanta to the present Metropolitan Archdiocese of Atlanta, designating the Diocese of Savannah, the Diocese of Charleston (South Carolina), the Diocese of Raleigh (North Carolina), and the Territorial Abbey of Mary Help of Christians, popularly known as "Belmont Abbey," as its suffragans, on 10 February 1962.[1]

Pope Paul VI erected the Diocese of Charlotte, taking its initial territory from the Diocese of Raleigh and designating it as an additional suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Atlanta, on 12 November 1971.[4] The same pope subsequently annexed the entire territory of the Territorial Abbey of Mary Help of Christians to the Diocese of Charlotte, thus terminating the status of that abbey as a territorial abbey and as a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Atlanta, on January 1, 1977.[5] These actions established the present configuration of the Metropolitan Province of Atlanta.

Reports of sexual abuse

In December 2018, a former altar boy filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Atlanta alleged that the archdiocese shielded a priest who sexually abused him[6] On April 1, 2019, the Archdiocese of Atlanta published a list of 23 Catholic clergy who served in the archdiocese and were "credibly accused" of committing acts of sexual abuse since the founding of the archdiocese in 1956.[7]

Selected leadership history

In 1966, the archdiocese was home to the youngest bishop in the nation, Joseph Bernardin. Ordained an auxiliary bishop[1] at the age of 38, Bernardin[1] later became archbishop of Cincinnati and ultimately the archbishop of Chicago and cardinal.

In 1988, Eugene Marino[1] was named archbishop of Atlanta,[1] becoming the first African American archbishop in the United States.[1] He resigned from his position two years later after his affair – termed an "inappropriate relationship"[1] by the archdiocese – with a lay minister became public knowledge. After a period of what was termed reflection and renewal,[1] Marino continued on in religious service in New York State until his death.[1]

In December 2004, Pope John Paul II appointed Wilton Gregory as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta;[8] and he was installed in January 2005.[8]

In July 2009, Pope Benedict XVI, recognizing Archbishop Gregory's need for assistance in governing the burgeoning archdiocese, named Monsignor Luis Zarama as the second auxiliary bishop of Atlanta.[9][10] In April 2013, Monsignor David Talley was installed as an additional auxiliary bishop of Atlanta.[11][12]

On April 4, 2019, Pope Francis transferred Archbishop Wilton Gregory to the office of archbishop of Washington.[13] The see of Atlanta became vacant upon the installation of Archbishop Gregory in his new office on 21 May 2019. The College of Consultors elected Auxiliary Bishop Joel Konzen as the diocesan administrator three days later.[14] Pope Francis subsequently appointed Gregory Hartmayer, then bishop of Savannah, as the new archbishop of Atlanta on March 5, 2020,[15] with his installation taking place on May 6, 2020.[16] Pope Francis also appointed Archbishop Gregory a cardinal in a consistory on November, 20, 2020,[17] making him the first African-American cardinal.

Population

The archdiocese said that the number of Catholics grew from 30,840 members in 1960 to 292,300 members in 1998 and to 900,000 members in 2010, an increase of 207 percent.[18] The population is estimated by the USCCB to exceed 1 million by 2011, with an overall increase of 2,500 people.[2][19] The increase is fueled by Catholics moving to Atlanta from other parts of the U.S. and the world, and from newcomers to the church.[2][20] About 11 percent of all metropolitan Atlanta residents are Catholic.[9]

Territory

In 2020, the archdiocese included 102 parishes and missions.[21]

Bishops
Sacred Heart, located in Downtown Atlanta

The following is a list of the bishops and archbishops who have served as the diocesan bishop of Atlanta (and their tenures of service):

Bishop of Atlanta
  1. Francis Edward Hyland (1956–1962)

Archbishops of Atlanta
  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

Other priests in this archdiocese who became bishops

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

The archdiocese operates eighteen elementary and high schools.[22] Additionally, there are six independent Catholic schools (as noted in the lists to follow) located in the Atlanta metropolitan area.[22] While those six schools are independent, they fall within the jurisdiction of the archdiocese. The population of student enrollment in all of the Catholic schools in the archdiocese in 2011–2012 was approximately 12,000.[23] The superintendent of the schools in the archdiocese is currently Hal Plummer.[22]

K-12 schools

7-12 schools

High schools

Georgia Bulletin

The Georgia Bulletin, the official newspaper of the archdiocese, was established in 1963 and is published weekly (except for the second and last weeks of June, July, August, as well as the last week of December).[24]

See also

References
  1. The Archdiocese of Atlanta: A history, Strasbourg, France: Editions du Signe, Archdiocese of Atlanta, 2006.
  2. "About the Archdiocese of Atlanta". Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  3. "Savannah (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  4. 'Page about Diocese of Charlotte on Catholic Hierarchy web site.
  5. "Belmont-Mary Help of Christians (Latin (or Roman) Territorial Abbey) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  6. Boone, Christian (December 21, 2018). "EXCLUSIVE: New lawsuit alleges sexual abuse by longtime Georgia priest". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  7. https://2nix922u0v5c1unycf149lry-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/office-of-child-and-youth-protection-list-2019_april.pdf
  8. The Most Reverend Wilton D. Gregory, SLD, Metropolitan Archbishop of Atlanta Archived November 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, Smyrna, GA: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, 2014, Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  9. Monsignor Luis R. Zarama named auxiliary bishop for Archdiocese of Atlanta Archived 2014-01-02 at the Wayback Machine, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, Smyrna, GA: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, 27 July 2009, Chivers, P.M., Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  10. The Most Reverend Luis Rafael Zarama, Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta (Episcopal Vicar Region I), Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, Smyrna, GA: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, 2014, Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  11. Pope appoints Atlanta's second auxiliary bishop, The Georgia Bulletin, Smyrna, GA: The Archdiocese of Atlanta, 17 January 2013, Nelson, A., Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  12. Bishop David P. Talley, Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta (Episcopal Vicar Region II) Archived 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, Smyrna, GA: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, 2014, Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  13. "Pope Francis names Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory as new Archbishop of Washington". Georgia Bulletin. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  14. "Consultors select Bishop Joel Konzen, SM, as administrator". Georgia Bulletin. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  15. "Pope names new Bishops for USA, Nigeria, Republic of Congo - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  16. "With social distancing in place, Archbishop Hartmayer installed in Atlanta". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  17. Page about Cardinal Wilton Daniel Gregory on Catholic Hierarchy web site.
  18. Nelson, Andrew. "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.
  19. Nelson, Andrew (January 1, 2009). "Parishes Receive Data As Catholic Population Surges". The Georgia Bulletin. The Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta. p. 10.
  20. The church in the south: Growing pains, St. Anthony Messenger, American Catholic.org/Catholic Extension.org, 2006, Beckwith, B., Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  21. Parishes and missions, by name, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, Smyrna, GA: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, 2014, Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  22. Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, Smyrna, GA: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, 2014, Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  23. Catholic schools by the numbers, The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, Smyrna, GA: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, 2014, Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  24. "Catholic Newspapers". Hesburgh Libraries Website. University of Notre Dame. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
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