The Growing Church in the South
Growing up in North Georgia, Catholics were very much in the minority. The area was dominated by protestant churches, especially those of the baptist faith.
That situation has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. This change was recently illustrated in the latest "Book of Lists", published by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. My parish, St Thomas the Apostle , is now listed as the second largest parish in the region (19,780 members). Catholic Churches now make up eight (8) of the top 25 churches in the metro area (based on registered members). That is more parishes than any other denomination on the list. To handle the load, St. Thomas now has nine (9) Masses every weekend. This heavy Mass schedule is seen throughout parishes in the Archdiocese.
As a result, this growth has resulted in a building boom in the metro area, and the need for more schools. Recently, the Deacon's Bench blog featured an article on the success of Catholic education in Atlanta. You can read more about that topic HERE.
That situation has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. This change was recently illustrated in the latest "Book of Lists", published by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. My parish, St Thomas the Apostle , is now listed as the second largest parish in the region (19,780 members). Catholic Churches now make up eight (8) of the top 25 churches in the metro area (based on registered members). That is more parishes than any other denomination on the list. To handle the load, St. Thomas now has nine (9) Masses every weekend. This heavy Mass schedule is seen throughout parishes in the Archdiocese.
As a result, this growth has resulted in a building boom in the metro area, and the need for more schools. Recently, the Deacon's Bench blog featured an article on the success of Catholic education in Atlanta. You can read more about that topic HERE.
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