Country United States Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia Phone +1 404-920-7800 | Ecclesiastical province Province of Atlanta Bishop Wilton Daniel Gregory | |
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Territory 69 counties in northern Georgia Area 55,521 km (21,437 sq mi) Population
- Total
- Catholics (as of 2014)
7,150,000
1,000,000 (14.0%) Address 2401 Lake Park Dr, Smyrna, GA 30080, USA Cathedral Cathedral of Christ the King Hours Closed now Tuesday8AM–4PMWednesday8AM–4PMThursday8AM–4PMFriday8AM–4PMSaturdayClosedSundayClosedMonday8AM–4PMSuggest an edit | ||
The Archdiocese of Atlanta is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its ecclesiastical territory comprises Georgia's northern counties, including the capital of Atlanta. It is led by a prelate archbishop, currently Wilton D. Gregory, who is also pastor of the mother church, the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta. The Cathedral is the metropolitan see of the Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Atlanta, which covers Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. As of 2014, there were 100 parishes and missions in the Archdiocese. There were 900,000 registered Catholics in the Archdiocese as of 2010.
Contents
Establishment
The former Diocese of Atlanta was established by a division of the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta on July 2, 1956. At that time, there were also two designated co-cathedrals, including St. John the Baptist in Savannah and Christ the King in Atlanta.
The Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta was originated through the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina; and prior to that, the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland. Catholic settlement began in Georgia in the 1700s, with the establishment of a Catholic mission in Georgia by Catholic settlers who had moved to Georgia from Baltimore.
The Diocese of Atlanta was elevated to the rank of archdiocese on February 10, 1962.
Selected leadership history
In 1966, the Archdiocese was home to the youngest bishop in the nation, Joseph Bernardin. Ordained an auxiliary bishop at the age of 38, Bernardin later became Archbishop of Cincinnati and ultimately the Archbishop of Chicago and cardinal.
In 1988, Eugene Antonio Marino was named Archbishop of Atlanta, becoming the first African American archbishop in the United States. He resigned from his position two years later after his affair - termed an "inappropriate relationship" by the Archdiocese - with a lay minister became public knowledge. After a period of reflection and renewal, he continued on in religious service in New York State until his death.
In December 2004, Pope John Paul II appointed Wilton Gregory as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and he was installed in January 2005.
In July 2009, Pope Benedict XVI, recognizing Archbishop Gregory's need for assistance in governing the burgeoning archdiocese, named Monsignor Luis Rafael Zarama as the second Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta. In April 2013, Monsignor David Talley was installed as an additional Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta.
Population
Metro Atlanta contains a large, and rapidly growing, Roman Catholic population. 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. The population is estimated by the USCCB to top 1 million by 2011, with an overall increase of 2,500 people. 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. About 11 percent of all metropolitan Atlanta residents are Catholic.
Territory
In 2014, the Archdiocese included 100 parishes and missions. In 2007, the Archdiocese comprised 84 parishes, serving the following northern Georgia counties:
Bishops
The lists of bishops and their years of service:
Bishop of Atlanta
Other priest of this diocese who became a bishop
Religious orders serving the Archdiocese
There are many religious orders of women and men serving in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Orders currently represented in the Archdiocese are included in the lists to follow.
Schools
The Archdiocese operates eighteen elementary and high schools. Additionally, there are six independent Catholic schools (as noted in the lists to follow) located in the Atlanta metropolitan area. 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. The superintendent of the schools in the Archdiocese is currently Diane Starkovich.
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).