Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Downtown Atlanta, whose pastor convinced Sherman not to burn the city's churches
Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with Atlanta City Hall in distance. The first beginnings of this building, the oldest church in north Georgia and Atlanta’s first Catholic Church, are told in stories of early missionaries to the area. No existing records prior to 1846 verify when or where the first Mass was celebrated in Atlanta. Conflicting stories from that period suggest various private homes or a school building as the site of that first Atlanta liturgy. ---In all probability missionary priests were ministering to Atlanta by the early 1840’s. These early missionary priests followed the railroad, celebrating Mass in various railroad camps and towns throughout north Georgia . ---Atlanta Catholics completed their first church building in 1848. Not yet named, it was known simply as “the Catholic Church”. This building stood on the same site as the present church. This first church was a simple wood frame structure similar to the construction of surrounding buildings. ---In 1850 the state of Georgia was made a diocese in its own right. Spiritual direction of Atlanta ’s Catholics passed from the Diocese of Charleston to the Diocese of Savannah. ---In 1861 Fr. Thomas O’Reilly, who was to become one of Atlanta ’s most well known priests, was appointed pastor of the Atlanta Catholic Church and its missions. His pastorate was to be shaped by the War Between the States. Throughout the war, Fr. O’Reilly gave aid both in the field and in makeshift hospitals to soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Because he ministered to Union soldiers as well as those of the Confederacy (of which he was an official Confederate Chaplain), he became known personally by many individual Union soldiers. Catholics in the Federal army also attended his Masses during the siege and occupation of Atlanta . ---In 1864 hearing of an order to Sherman to destroy and burn the city of Atlanta, Fr. O’Reilly warned General Slocum of Sherman’s army staff that if they persisted in the plan to burn down the Catholic Church, Sherman would face massive desertions of the Catholics in the Federal ranks.(A majority of Sherman’s forces on this campaign were said to be Catholic, and many had personal knowledge or experience of Fr. O’Reilly.) During Sherman ’s burning of Atlanta , some of these Federal soldiers did help to protect the church by preventing the setting of fires too near the church building . ---Fr. O’Reilly’s intercessions with Sherman ’s staff also apparently saved the Court House, City Hall, and several other churches including St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Trinity Methodist, Second Baptist, and Central Presbyterian. All were saved from destruction, although most were occupied for various uses by the Union soldiers. ---The Atlanta Catholic Church was not burned, but it was damaged by shells that exploded in the vicinity. The Northern army occupied the church building and for a time used it as a supplemental hospital. ---When the citizens of Atlanta who had fled during the siege returned at the war’s end, they found their city almost totally destroyed by fire. The “spared” churches, including the Catholic church building, became places of refuge to temporarily house the homeless returnees. ---At the end of the war, rather than starting to repair their damaged church home, Atlanta Catholics decided to build a new church building. They moved the old wood frame building to the east onto an adjacent lot, and began construction of the new church on the same site as the original church. ---Fr. John B. Duggan became pastor in 1871 when Fr. O’Reilly’s health began to fail. Rev. Thomas O’Reilly died September 6, 1872 , age forty-one, and was buried in a vault under the new church. ---On October 18, 1945 , eighty-one years after his brave and defiant intercession, the Atlanta Historical Society honored Fr. O’Reilly by erecting a monument to him in gratitude for his part in saving the churches and City Hall of Atlanta in 1864. ---Fr. James O’Brien was the pastor at the 1880 dedication. Fr. O’Brien is credited with the establishment of Atlanta ’s first permanent hospital. He purchased the property for the Sisters of Mercy’s Atlanta Catholic Hospital , later known as St. Joseph ’s Infirmary and was instrumental in founding the hospital. ---This church is the mother church of all other Atlanta parishes. ---Fr. Benjamin J. Keiley pastored from 1886-1896. He established the League of the Sacred Heart at the parish. He installed and blessed the almost four thousand pound bell in the main tower of the church. It was called the Angel Bell and for many years rang the Angelus at 6:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 6:00 PM. ---On June 2, 1954 at the rededication of this church, the Most Reverend Francis E. Hyland, Auxiliary Bishop of Savannah-Atlanta Diocese, referred to the church, for the first time, as a Shrine to the Blessed Mother. After many decades of special devotion to Mary, the church had been designated a shrine (a church hallowed by history)—by decree of Archbishop Gerald P. O’Hara. Archbishop O’Hara affirmed that the beloved historic church would now be known as the and the Shrine of the entire Atlanta diocese.