Archdiocese of Atlanta

{{Short description|Catholic ecclesiastical territory}} {{Use American English|date = March 2019}} {{Use mdy dates|date = March 2019}} {{Infobox diocese | jurisdiction = Archdiocese | name = Atlanta | latin = Archdiœcesis Atlantensis | local =  | image = Christ the King - Atlanta 01.jpg | image_size = 225px | image_alt = | caption = Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta | coat = Coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.svg | coat_size = 150px | coat_alt =  | country = {{flag|United States}} | territory = {{flagicon|Georgia (U.S. state)}} 69 counties in northern Georgia | province = Province of Atlanta | deaneries = | headquarters = | coordinates = {{coord|33|46|23|N|84|23|15|W|region:US_source:kolossus-plwiki|display=inline,title}}  | area_km2 = 55,521 | area_footnotes = | population = 7,500,000 | population_as_of = 2020 | catholics = 1,200,000 | catholics_percent = 16.0 | parishes = 102 | churches =  | congregations =  | schools = 18  | members =   | denomination = Catholic | sui_iuris_church = Latin Church | rite = Roman Rite | established = {{start date and age|1956|07|02}} | cathedral = Cathedral of Christ the King | cocathedral = | patron = Immaculate Heart of Mary<br />Pope Pius X | priests =   | pope = {{Incumbent pope}}  | bishop = Gregory John Hartmayer, O.F.M. Conv. | bishop_title = Archbishop | coadjutor = | suffragans = | auxiliary_bishops = Joel Matthias Konzen<br />Bernard Shlesinger<br>John Nhàn Trần | apostolic_admin = | vicar_general = | episcopal_vicar = | judicial_vicar = | emeritus_bishops =  | map = Archdiocese of Atlanta.jpg | map_size = | map_alt = | map_caption =  | website = {{Official website|https://archatl.com/|archatl.com}} | footnotes = }} The '''Archdiocese of Atlanta''' ({{langx|la|Archdiœcesis Atlantensis}}) is an 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.<ref name="Atlanta2">''The Archdiocese of Atlanta: A history'', Strasbourg, France: Editions du Signe, Archdiocese of Atlanta, 2006.</ref> The archbishop is Gregory Hartmayer.

== Territory == 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,<ref name="Atlanta2"/> South Carolina, and North Carolina. It includes the following suffragan dioceses:

* Diocese of Savannah * Diocese of Charleston * Diocese of Raleigh * Diocese of Charlotte

In 2020, the archdiocese included 102 parishes and missions with 1,200,000 registered Catholics.<ref name="Catholic">{{cite web |title=About the Archdiocese of Atlanta |date=June 4, 2020 |url=https://archatl.com/about/about-the-archdiocese-of-atlanta/ |access-date=June 18, 2020}}</ref>

==History== thumb|Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Atlanta, Georgia (2011)

=== 1776 to 1850 === In 1732, present-day Georgia became a British colony. Like most of the American colonies, the British Province of Georgia banned Catholic worship. The leaders of the colony feared Catholic Spain, which had established colonies next to Georgia in Florida. As a result, there was no Catholic community in the province at this time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-03 |title=Oglethorpe and Religion in Georgia - Georgia Historical Society |url=https://www.georgiahistory.com/resource/james-edward-oglethorpe/oglethorpe-and-religion-in-georgia/ |access-date=2026-05-31 |website=georgiahistory.com/ |language=en-US}}</ref>

The American Revolution changed attitudes towards Catholics in Georgia. The new State of Georgia amended its constitution in 1777 to reduce restrictions on Catholics. During the siege of Savannah by the British in 1779, over 3,900 Catholic French, Haitian, and Irish troops fought with the Georgians. After the American Revolution ended in 1783, the British gave up control of the colonies. The new US Constitution ensured religious freedom for all Americans, including Catholics.<ref name="Catholic Church">{{Cite web |title=Catholic Church |url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/catholic-church/ |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=New Georgia Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |title=Catholic Church |url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/catholic-church/ |access-date=2026-05-31 |website=New Georgia Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref>

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.<ref name="history">{{cite web |title=Our History |url=http://www.archbalt.org/our-history/index.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724200915/http://archbalt.org/our-history/index.cfm |archive-date=July 24, 2008 |access-date=2009-03-30 |publisher=Archdiocese of Baltimore}}</ref>Five years later, in 1789, the Vatican converted the prefecture into the Diocese of Baltimore, with jurisdiction over the entire United States.<ref name=":0" />

The first Catholic presence in north Georgia was a small group of English Catholics from Maryland.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://archatl.com/about/history/ |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta {{!}} Atlanta, GA |date=December 19, 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref>They built the Church of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Crawfordville, the first Catholic church in the state.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About {{!}} Heritage |url=https://www.heritagega.org/about |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=www.heritagega.org |language=en}}</ref>In Augusta, the first parish was Most Holy Trinity, founded in 1810. Its church, dedicated in 1857, is the oldest surviving Catholic church in the state.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://themostholytrinity.org/our-history |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church |language=en}}</ref>

The Vatican erected the Diocese of Charleston in 1820, covering Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charleston (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dchas.html |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref> The first Catholic church in Atlanta, Immaculate Conception, was dedicated in 1848.<ref name=":1" />

=== 1850 to 1956 === {{See also|Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah|l1=Diocese of Savannah}}

The Vatican in 1850 established the Diocese of Savannah, with jurisdiction over Georgia and most of Florida.<ref name="Atlanta2"/><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Savannah (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dsava.html |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref> By the start of the American Civil War in 1861, 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 along his advance through Georgia. 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.<ref name="Catholic Church"/>

St. Joseph's Parish opened in Athens in 1873, the first in that city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History – St. Joseph |url=https://stjosephathens.com/about-us/our-history/ |access-date=2026-02-20 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1876, the diocese opened the St. Joseph's Home for orphaned boys in Washington, Georgia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Joseph's Orphanage Washington, Ga |url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_vang_wlk135 |access-date=February 19, 2026 |website=Digital Library of Georgia}}</ref>

In 1880, the Sisters of Mercy opened the Catholic Infirmary in Atlanta, the first hospital in that city. It is today Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital Directions, Address, Contact Information and Services - Atlanta, GA |url=https://www.emoryhealthcare.org/locations/hospitals/emory-saint-josephs-hospital |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=www.emoryhealthcare.org |language=en}}</ref> The first Catholic mission in Marietta was St. Joseph, founded in 1906.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.saintjosephcc.org/about-us |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250406003719/https://www.saintjosephcc.org/about-us |archive-date=2025-04-06 |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=www.saintjosephcc.org |language=en}}</ref>That same year, St. Mary's Hospital opened in Athens in 1908. It was taken over in 1938 by the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Today it is Saint Mary's Health Care System.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Healthcare Institutions {{!}} Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta {{!}} Atlanta, GA |url=https://archatl.com/places/healthcare-institutions/ |access-date=2026-02-20 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1937, recognizing the economic and population growth of Atlanta, Pope Pius XI renamed the Diocese of Savannah as the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta.<ref name=":3" />

===1956 to 1963=== On July 2, 1956, Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Atlanta, taking northern Georgia from what now became the Diocese of Savannah .<ref name="Atlanta2"/> 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.<ref name="Atlanta2"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bishop Francis Edward Hyland [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bhyland.html |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref> 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 <ref name="Atlanta2"/> The pope named Bishop Paul Hallinan of Charleston as the first archbishop of Atlanta.<ref name="hierarchy2">{{cite news |title=Archbishop Paul John Hallinan |work=Catholic-Hierarchy.org |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bhallinan.html}}</ref>

=== 1963 to 1988 ===

Hallinan's first act as archbishop was to order the racial integration of all Catholic institutions under his jurisdiction.<ref name="milestones">{{cite magazine |date=1968-04-05 |title=Milestones |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900096,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=TIME Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080407222718/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900096,00.html |archive-date=April 7, 2008}}</ref> In 1965, he 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."<ref name="milestones" />

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.<ref name="death">{{cite news |date=1968-03-29 |title=Archbishop Hallinan Dies at 56 |work=The Georgia Bulletin |url=http://www.georgiabulletin.org/local/1968/03/29/a/}}</ref> Hallinan died in 1968.<ref name="death" />

The second archbishop of Atlanta was Thomas Donnellan from the Diocese of Ogdensburg, named by Pope Paul VI in 1968.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Archbishop Thomas Andrew Donnellan [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bdonnt.html |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref> 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 and attempting to place them in Catholic schools.. In 1971, Paul VI erected the Diocese of Charlotte, making it another suffragan diocese of Atlanta.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Charlotte (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dchan.html |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref> Six years later, Paul VI removed the suffragan status of the Territorial Abbey of Mary Help of Christian.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/db006.html|title=Belmont-Mary Help of Christians (Latin (or Roman) Territorial Abbey) [Catholic-Hierarchy]|website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org|accessdate=April 5, 2021}}</ref> These actions established the present configuration of the Metropolitan Province of Atlanta. Donnellan died in 1987.<ref name=":2" />

=== 1988 to 2010 === 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.<ref name="Atlanta2"/> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=May |first=Lee |date=1990-08-17 |title=Woman Claims She Married Archbishop |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-17-mn-746-story.html |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> The Vatican forced Marino to resign as archbishop in July 1990.<ref name="Atlanta2"/>

To replace Marino, John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop James Lyke of the Diocese of Cleveland in 1991 as the next archbishop of Atlanta.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-83-1991-ocr.pdf |title=Acta Apostolicae Sedis |date=1991 |volume=LXXXIII |page=527 |access-date=December 14, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 1, 1991 |title=Interim Archbishop of Atlanta Named to Post Permanently |work=New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1991/05/01/093091.html |access-date=December 15, 2020}}</ref> However, Lyke died in 1992.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Archbishop James Patterson Lyke [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/blyke.html |access-date=2026-06-01 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref> The pope then selected Bishop John Donoghue from the Diocese of Charlotte to serve as archbishop.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Archbishop John Francis Donoghue [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bdonoghue.html |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Seward |first=Christopher |date=November 13, 2011 |title=Former Atlanta Archbishop John Donoghue dies |language=English |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/former-atlanta-archbishop-john-donoghue-dies/popZfOJXpb6B34qBO8sV1O/ |access-date=2022-05-25 |issn=1539-7459}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=2003-09-20 |title=Catholic Archdiocese Files Suit, Calling Church Network a Fraud |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/20/us/catholic-archdiocese-files-suit-calling-church-network-a-fraud.html |access-date=2023-06-14 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> A judge in October 2003 permanently banned ''Capilla de la Fe'' from calling itself Catholic.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McGough |first=Michael |date=2003-10-31 |title="Property of Rome"? |language=en-US |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2003/10/who-gets-to-be-called-catholic.html |access-date=2023-06-14 |issn=1091-2339}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Women Excluded From Atlanta Foot Washing |url=https://apnews.com/article/2b741d9f8783e3202a3aa08c958a0ce8 |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}}</ref> When Donoghue retired as archbishop of Atlanta in 2004, John Paul II appointed Bishop Wilton Gregory from the Diocese of Belleville to replace him.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wilton Daniel Cardinal Gregory [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bgregory.html |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref> In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named Luis Zarama as the second auxiliary bishop of Atlanta.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama Pasqualetto [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bzarama.html |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref>

=== 2010 to 2015 === thumb|Cardinal Gregory (2024) In 2010, the archdiocese reported 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.<ref name="Population">{{cite web |last=Nelson |first=Andrew |date=September 6, 2007 |title=Catholic Population Officially Leaps To 650,000 |url=http://www.georgiabulletin.org/local/2007/09/06/pop/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013103217/http://www.georgiabulletin.org/local/2007/09/06/pop/ |archive-date=2007-10-13 |access-date=2007-12-19 |work=The Georgia Bulletin |publisher=Archdiocese of Atlanta}}</ref> The increase was fueled by Catholics moving to Atlanta from other states and nations, and from conversions to Catholicism.<ref name="Catholic" /><ref>[http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/May2007/Feature3.asp The church in the south: Growing pains], ''St. Anthony Messenger'', American Catholic.org/Catholic Extension.org, 2006, Beckwith, B., Retrieved 1 January 2014.</ref> About 11 percent of all metropolitan Atlanta residents were Catholic.

The archdiocese in 2011 received 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 in recent years for their depiction of African-Americans.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title='Gone with the Wind' rights were gift to Atlanta Catholic archdiocese |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/44817/gone-with-the-wind-rights-were-gift-to-atlanta-archdiocese |access-date=2024-07-12 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref>In 2013, Monsignor David Talley was installed as an auxiliary bishop of Atlanta.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Andrew |title=Pope Appoints Atlanta's Second Auxiliary Bishop |url=https://georgiabulletin.org/news/2013/01/pope-appoints-atlantas-second-auxiliary-bishop/ |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=Georgia Bulletin |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="AJC">{{cite news |last=Poole |first=Shelia |date=January 3, 2013 |title=Monsignor David P. Talley named auxiliary bishop for Atlanta Archdiocese |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |url=http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/monsignor-david-p-talley-named-auxiliary-bishop-fo/nTk35/ |accessdate=February 28, 2013}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=HENRY |first=RAY |last2=ZOLL |first2=RACHEL |date=April 2014 |title=Atlanta archbishop apologizes for posh residence |url=https://apnews.com/article/8cb4e3a89e974aa6bfec1e7827d06896 |access-date=2021-02-23 |website=AP NEWS}}</ref> The residence was also designed to serve as a banquet and conference facility.<ref name="Apology">{{Citation |last=Gregory |first=W.D. |title=Commentary: The archbishop responds |date=March 31, 2014 |url=http://www.georgiabulletin.org/commentary/2014/03/the-archbishop-responds/ |work=The Georgia Bulletin |access-date=May 26, 2014 |publisher=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta}}</ref>{{efn|The Atlanta Archdiocese had received a $15 million bequest<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.georgiabulletin.org/news/2014/04/distribution-15-million-joseph-mitchell-bequest/ | title =Distribution of $15 million Joseph Mitchell bequest |work=The Georgia Bulletin | publisher =Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta | date=April 3, 2014 |access-date = May 26, 2014}}</ref> from the estate of Joseph Mitchell, a nephew of ''Gone with the Wind'' author Margaret Mitchell.<ref>[http://www.archatl.com/offices/communications/press_releases/2012.08.16-mitchell-estate.html 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.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120821194430/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1203477.htm "Mitchell heir leaves millions, literary rights to Atlanta Archdiocese"], Washington, D.C.: Catholic News Service, August 17, 2012, Keiser, G., Retrieved May 26, 2014.</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/margaret-mitchells-nephew-leaves-estate-to-atlanta/nRMJW/ | title =Margaret Mitchell's nephew leaves estate to Atlanta Archdiocese | work =The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | date= August 16, 2012 | last = Poole | first = S. | access-date = May 26, 2014}}</ref>}} Gregory apologized and announced that the archdiocese would sell the residence, although he had moved into it only three months earlier.<ref name="Apology" /><ref name="GB10">{{cite news |date=April 1, 2014 |title=Atlanta archbishop apologizes over $2.2M mansion |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/31/atlanta-archbishop-mansion/7144093/ |access-date=April 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=April 5, 2014 |title=Archbishop Says He Plans to Sell $2 Million Home |work=New York Times |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/us/archbishop-says-he-plans-to-sell-2-million-home.html |access-date=April 5, 2014}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Murphy |first=Adam |date=March 11, 2015 |title=Atlanta's Archbishop sells Buckhead mansion, moves to Smyrna |publisher=WGCL-TV |url=http://www.cbs46.com/story/28397128/atlantas-archbishop-sells-buckhead-mansion-moves-to-smyrna#ixzz3UAVRpBRB}}</ref>

=== 2015 to present === thumb|Archbishop Hartmayer (2022) In 2018, a group of Catholics petitioned Gregory to remove the so-called "pro-LGBT" priest Henry Gracz of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Atlanta from his position as a spiritual advisor to victims of sexual abuse, accusing Gracz of contravening Catholic teaching. Gregory declined the petition.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Poole |first1=Shelia M. |last2=Branch |first2=Ben |date=September 4, 2018 |title=Catholic petitioners take offense to Atlanta pro-LGBTQ pastor's role |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/religion/catholic-petitioners-take-offense-pro-lgbtq-pastor-appointment/7Tgz2St6p6jr5TSfrjO6UL/ |access-date=March 29, 2019}}</ref> In 2019, Gregory became archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://georgiabulletin.org/news/2019/04/pope-francis-names-archbishop-wilton-d-gregory-as-new-archbishop-of-washington/|title=Pope Francis names Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory as new Archbishop of Washington|website=Georgia Bulletin|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-09}}</ref>Pope Francis appointed Bishop Gregory Hartmayer from Savannah as the next archbishop of Atlanta in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-03/pope-names-new-bishops-for-usa-nigeria-republic-of-congo.html|title=Pope names new Bishops for USA, Nigeria, Republic of Congo - Vatican News|date=2020-03-05|website=www.vaticannews.va|language=en|access-date=2020-03-05}}</ref>

In February 2023, Hartmayer dedicated a new eucharistic chapel in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It was created as an interfaith chapel open to all faith groups.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A major US airport gets a 24/7 eucharistic chapel |url=https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/atlanta-airport-gets-a-247-eucharistic-chapel |access-date=2026-06-01 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref>

Hartmayer in October 2024 called for Catholics in the archdiocese to pray in response to a planned black mass by the Satanic Temple Atlanta in the Atlanta area. He claimed that satanists in other areas had stolen consecrated host for use in their service.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Atlanta Catholics plan prayer, reparation amid ‘Satanic black mass’ |url=https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/atlanta-catholics-plan-prayer-and-reparation-amid-planned-satanic-black-mass |access-date=2026-06-01 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref>In a statement, the temple denied that it had stolen any eucharist or planned to use any during the black mass.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Satanic Temple denies it intends to desecrate the Eucharist |url=https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/satanic-temple-denies-it-intends-to-desecrate-the-eucharist-during-planned-black-mass |access-date=2026-06-01 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref>

Auxiliary bishop John Nhan Tran in January 2026 dedicated CommonSpirit – Memorial Hospital – North Georgia, a new Catholic hospital in Ringgold.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Golden |first=Nichole |date=2026-03-18 |title=Catholic hospital opens in North Georgia, expanding access to healthcare - Georgia Bulletin |url=https://georgiabulletin.org/news/2026/03/catholic-hospital-opens-in-north-georgia-expanding-access-to-healthcare/ |access-date=2026-06-01 |website=georgiabulletin.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Reports of sexual abuse=== 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. He was sentenced to three years in prison.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Crouse |first=Julia |title=Church Worker Sentenced in Sex Abuse Case |url=https://www.theledger.com/story/news/2003/06/05/church-worker-sentenced-in-sex-abuse-case/26053952007/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=The Ledger |language=en-US}}</ref> The archdiocese settled a lawsuit brought by the boys' parents in 2003 for $10 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Plummer |first=Don |date=December 19, 2003 |title=Archdiocese Settles Suit over Molestation of Teens |url=https://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2003_07_12/2003_12_19_Plummer_ArchdioceseSettles.htm |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}}</ref>

In November 2018, the archdiocese released a list of 15 clergy with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors since 1956.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Padgett |first=Lauren |date=2018-11-07 |title=Archdiocese of Atlanta releases names of priests accused of sexually assaulting children |url=https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/archdiocese-of-atlanta-releases-names-of-priests-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-children/85-612287864 |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=11Alive.com |language=en-US}}</ref> A second report in 2023 listed 25.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parker |first=Alexandra |date=2023-03-24 |title=Report names several Atlanta priests with "credible allegations of child abuse" |url=https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2023/03/24/report-names-several-atlanta-priests-with-credible-allegations-child-abuse/ |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=www.atlantanewsfirst.com |language=en}}</ref>An appeals court in Georgia dismissed a lawusit by several alleged victims of sexual abuse against the archdiocese, saying that the statute of limitations for the filings had expired.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Georgia appeals court blocks abuse suit against Atlanta Archdiocese, cites statute of limitations |url=https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/georgia-appeals-court-blocks-abuse-suit-against-atlanta-archdiocese-cites-statute-of-limitations |access-date=2026-06-01 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref>

==Bishops== [[File:Sacred Heart Atlanta.jpg|thumb|Sacred Heart Basilica, Atlanta, Georgia (2007)]]

===Bishop of Atlanta=== Francis Edward Hyland (1956–1961)

===Archbishops of Atlanta=== # Paul John Hallinan (1962–1968) # Thomas Andrew Donnellan (1968–1987) # Eugene Antonio Marino (1988–1990) # James Patterson Lyke (1991–1992), appointed apostolic administrator from 1990 to 1991) # John Francis Donoghue (1993–2005) # Wilton Daniel Gregory (2005–2019), appointed archbishop of Washington (elevated to cardinal in 2020) # Gregory John Hartmayer (2020–present)

===Auxiliary Bishops of Atlanta=== * Joseph Bernardin (1966–1968), appointed general secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; later appointed archbishop of Cincinnati and archbishop of Chicago (elevated to cardinal in 1983) * Luis Rafael Zarama (2009–2017), appointed bishop of Raleigh * David Talley (2013–2016), appointed Bishop of Alexandria; later appointed bishop of Memphis in 2019 * Bernard Shlesinger (2017–present) * Joel Matthias Konzen (2018–present) * John Nhàn Trần (2023–present)

===Other archdiocesan priests who became bishops=== Eusebius J. Beltran (1960–1978), appointed bishop of Tulsa; later appointed archbishop of Oklahoma City in 1993

==Schools== {{see also|List of schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta}} As of 2026, the Archdiocese of Atlanta had 17 schools run by the archdiocese with an enrollment of 6,854 student. ,The archdiocese also contained eight independently operated schools and 27 parish pre-schools. The superintendent of the archdiocesan school system was Patty Childs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Staff and Contact |url=https://archatl.com/offices/catholic-schools/staff-and-contact/ |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta {{!}} Atlanta, GA |date=December 14, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>In April 2026, the archdiocese launched the Sacred Heart Virtual Academy, an online high school.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Archdiocese of Atlanta launches online high school program |url=https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/archdiocese-of-atlanta-launches-online-high-school-program |access-date=2026-06-01 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref>

=== Kindergarten through 12 schools === * Holy Spirit Preparatory School – Atlanta and Sandy Springs campuses (independent)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-17 |title=Home of Holy Spirit Preparatory School - HSP |url=https://holyspiritprep.org/,%20https://holyspiritprep.org/ |access-date=2025-07-11 |language=en-US}}</ref> * Notre Dame Academy – Duluth (independent)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Notre Dame Academy {{!}} Private Catholic School in Duluth, GA |url=https://ndacademy.org/ |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=ND Academy |language=en-US}}</ref> * Pinecrest Academy – Cumming (independent)<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Private, Catholic PreK - 12 School in Cumming, GA |url=https://www.pinecrestacademy.org/ |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=www.pinecrestacademy.org}}</ref> * St. Mary's Academy — Fayetteville (archdiocesan); formerly Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School<ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Mary's Academy {{!}} Fayetteville, Ga {{!}} Catholic School |url=https://smaschool.org/ |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=St. Mary's Academy |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Grade 7 through 12 school ===

* Donovan Catholic School – Athens (independent)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monsignor Donovan Catholic School Athens, GA |url=https://www.donovancatholicathens.org/ |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=www.donovancatholicathens.org}}</ref> * Marist School – Brookhaven (independent)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home - Marist School |url=https://www.marist.com/ |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=www.marist.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== High schools === * Blessed Trinity Catholic High School – Roswell<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-11 |title=Home - Blessed Trinity Catholic High School |url=https://www.btcatholic.org/ |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=www.btcatholic.org |language=en-US}}</ref> * Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School – Atlanta (independent)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-28 |title=Home - Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School |url=https://www.cristoreyatlanta.org/ |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=www.cristoreyatlanta.org |language=en-US}}</ref> * St. Pius X Catholic High School – DeKalb County<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-01 |title=Home - St. Pius X Catholic High School |url=https://www.spx.org/ |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=www.spx.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

==''The Georgia Bulletin''== The ''Georgia Bulletin'', the official newspaper of the archdiocese, was established in 1963. It is published weekly in print and online (except for June, July and August, when it is published monthly).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Golden |first=Nichole |date=2023-11-20 |title=Sixty years of The Georgia Bulletin - Georgia Bulletin |url=https://georgiabulletin.org/news/2023/11/sixty-years-of-the-georgia-bulletin/ |access-date=2026-02-20 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Notes == {{Notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==External links== *[http://www.archatl.com Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta Official Site] *{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/*/http://catholicedga.org/|title=Catholic Education in Georgia}} *[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/datla.html Catholic Hierarchy Profile of the Archdiocese of Atlanta] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110720222501/http://honneurs.free.fr/Wikini/wakka.php?wiki=GeorgiE Places of traditional Catholic masses St Pius V of Atlanta]

{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta}} {{Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Atlanta}} {{R-C_provinces_in_the_United_States}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlanta}} Category:Archdiocese of Atlanta Archdiocese of Atlanta Category:Christian organizations established in 1962 Category:Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Atlanta Category:Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century Category:Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States Category:1962 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Christianity in Atlanta