The Diocese of Atlanta was established in 1956 when the northern 71 counties of the state were separated from the Diocese of Savannah and assigned to the newly created diocese. (The number was later reduced to 69 when two counties were returned to the jurisdiction of the Savannah Diocese.) At the time of the Diocese of Atlanta covered 23,000 square miles and numbered 23,600 Catholics in 23 parishes and 12 missions in a region with a total population of 1,800,000.

In 1962 the Diocese of Atlanta was elevated to the status of an archdiocese, becoming the center of an Ecclesiastical Province that included the states of Georgia, North and South Carolina and Florida. (Florida was detached in 1969 to become the Province of Miami). In 1962 the Catholic population of the archdiocese numbered 32,000 out of a total population of 2,152,000.

The archdiocese today is led by its sixth archbishop, Wilton D. Gregory, who was installed on January 17, 2005. Currently the archdiocese consists of nearly 100 parish and missions. Nearly 200 diocesan priests currently serve the faithful.

What Sets the Archdiocese of Atlanta apart?

• More than ten parishes with perpetual adoration

• Over 40 parishes with regularly scheduled adoration

• Celebration of a Eucharistic Congress held on the feast of Corpus Christi that is attended by more than 20,000 Catholics annually

• A strong Serra Club dedicated to prayer for vocations

• "Called By Name" and "Elijah Cup" programs

• A successful Capital Campaign, "Building the Church of Tomorrow," that raised more than $100 million in pledges

• 15 Catholic archdiocesan elementary schools, three Catholic archdiocesan high schools and numerous private independent Catholic schools

• A community of priests who pray and play together. From spiritual support groups to "The Padres" soccer team they serve each other through prayer and ministry

• The development of a retirement community that includes a number of units for retired priests.

Attractions of the City of Atlanta

• Home of the 1996 Olympic Games and Centennial Park

• Home of the professional baseball, basketball, football and hockey teams: Atlanta Braves, Hawks, Falcons, Thrashers

• Headquarters of CNN, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Home Depot, Holiday Inn Worldwide and UPS

• Spivey Hall, the Fox Theater and Atlanta Civic Center

• Martin Luther King Center

• Carter Presidential Center and Library

• The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

• The High Museum of Art, The Alliance Theatre

• Zoo Atlanta and the Cyclorama

• Chattahoochee Nature Center

• Stone Mountain park, Six Flags Over Georgia

• Chateau Elan Winery, Tullie Smith House

• Swan House, Ferst Center for the Performing Arts

• The Atlanta Opera, the Atlanta Ballet

• Fernbank Museum and Planetarium

• The Rialto Theater for the Performing Arts

• The 14th St. Playhouse

• Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University

• Atlanta Botanical Gardens

• Sci-Trek

• Atlanta University Center, including Morehouse, Spelman, and Morris Brown College and Clark Atlanta University; Emory University, including the Candler School of Theology and the Goizueta School of Business; Georgia Tech; The University of Georgia