When then-Archbishop Wilton Gregory served as the archbishop of Atlanta from 2005 until he was named as the archbishop of Washington in 2019, the Archdiocese of Atlanta grew to include 1.2 million Catholics, and new churches were built and facilities expanded to serve that growing family of faith. The Georgia Bulletin, that archdiocese’s newspaper, reported that “under his leadership, that Atlanta Catholic community experienced remarkable growth, with 12 new parishes and seven missions established. He ordained 71 priests and 172 permanent deacons.” Archbishop Gregory worked with clergy, religious and laity to adopt a pastoral plan in 2015 that formed a roadmap for the future of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Under Archbishop Gregory’s leadership, an environmental action plan for Atlanta parishes, schools and families based on Pope Francis’s 2015 environmental encyclical Laudato Si’ was written with the help of local scientists. During his years as archbishop of Atlanta, that archdiocese’s annual Eucharistic Congress drew tens of thousands of people, becoming the largest gathering of Catholics in the Southeastern United States. Archbishop Gregory said that gathering was like a family reunion, bringing together Catholics of different backgrounds to celebrate their shared faith.
