Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta

Infobox Roman Catholic diocese
Roman Catholic Diocese of=Roman Catholic Archiocese of Atlanta
Latin name of diocese= Archdioecesis Atlanta


caption=The Cathedral of Christ the King
location=Atlanta, Georgia, United States
territory=69 counties in northern Georgia
population= 650,000
rite=Roman Rite
patron=
province=Archdiocese of Atlanta
established=February 10, 1962
cathedral=Cathedral of Christ the King
co-cathedral=
leadership=Archbishop of Atlanta
website= [http://www.archatl.com/ Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta]
pope=Benedict XVI
metropolitan=Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory
ordinary=Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States. It is composed of the northern counties of the state of Georgia and is led by a prelate archbishop who is also pastor of the mother church, Cathedral of Christ the King in the City of Atlanta. The current archbishop is the Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory.

As of 2007 the Archdiocese of Atlanta comprises 84 parishes [cite web
last = Nelson
first = Andrew
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Catholic Population Officially Leaps To 650,000
work = The Georgia Bulletin
publisher =
date = September 6, 2007
url = http://www.georgiabulletin.org/local/2007/09/06/pop/
format =
accessdate = 2007-12-19 ] serving the following northern Georgia counties:

Territory

* Baldwin
* Banks
* Barrow
* Baldwin
* Banks
* Barrow
* Bartow
* Butts
* Carroll
* Catoosa
* Chattooga
* Cherokee
* Clarke
* Clayton
* Cobb
* Coweta
* Dade
* Dawson
* DeKalb
* Douglas
* Elbert
* Fannin
* Fayette
* Floyd

* Forsyth
* Franklin
* Fulton
* Gilmer
* Gordon
* Greene
* Gwinnett
* Habersham
* Hall
* Hancock
* Haralson
* Hart
* Heard
* Henry
* Jackson
* Jasper
* Lamar
* Lincoln
* Lumpkin
* Madison
* McDuffie
* Meriwether
* Monroe
* Morgan

* Murray
* Newton
* Oconee
* Oglethorpe
* Paulding
* Pickens
* Pike
* Polk
* Putnam
* Rabun
* Rockdale
* Spalding
* Stephens
* Taliaferro
* Towns
* Troup
* Union
* Upson
* Walker
* Walton
* Warren
* White
* Whitfield
* Wilkes

chools

The archdiocese operates eighteen elementary and high schools. Additionally, there are six independent Catholic schools located in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Catholic high schools located in the archdiocese include:

* Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, Roswell
* Holy Spirit Preparatory School, Atlanta and Sandy Springs
* Marist High School, DeKalb County
* Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School, Athens
* Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School, Fairburn
* Pinecrest Academy, Cumming
* St. Pius X Catholic High School, DeKalb County
* Christ the King School, Atlanta

History

The former Diocese of Atlanta was established by a division of the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta on July 2, 1956. It was elevated to the rank of archdiocese on February 10, 1962. In 1966 it was home to the youngest bishop in the nation, the future Joseph Cardinal Bernardin. Ordained an auxiliary bishop at the age of 38, Bernardin later became Archbishop of Cincinnati and ultimately the Archbishop of Chicago.

In 1988, Eugene Antonio Marino was named Archbishop of Atlanta, becoming the first African American archbishop in the United States. He resigned two years later after his affair with a lay minister became public knowledge.

The Catholic population of metropolitan Atlanta and North Georgia stood at 650,000 in 2006, boosted in recent years by foreign immigrants and migration from other regions of the U.S. [cite web
last = Nelson
first = Andrew
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Catholic Population Officially Leaps To 650,000
work = The Georgia Bulletin
publisher =
date = September 6, 2007
url = http://www.georgiabulletin.org/local/2007/09/06/pop/
format =
accessdate = 2007-12-19 ]

Notes

ee also

*Roman Catholic Archbishop of Atlanta
*List of Roman Catholic Churches in the Archdiocese of Atlanta

External links

* [http://www.archatl.com/ Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/datla.html Catholic Hierarchy Profile of the Archdiocese of Atlanta]
* [http://honneurs.free.fr/Wikini/wakka.php?wiki=GeorgiE Places of traditional Catholic masses St Pius V of Atlanta]