By JoJo Mattingly

The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception will have an overflow crowd at Mass Nov. 22. Among those attending will be Catholic dignitaries, the clergy and parishioners dressed in antebellum costumes.

The occasion will be part of the centenary celebration for this “Mother Church of the diocese.”

According to the pastor, Father Arthur Murray, O.F.M., the Mass and a banquet that evening are the only events definitely scheduled. But others are the in the planning stages.

He said that the guest list will include names that are special to the history of Immaculate Conception. Among these are the old families of the parish whose records are still kept, the Sisters of Mercy, and the only two living past pastors, Msgr. Patrick J. O’Connor and Father Leonard Kelly, O.F.M.

The colorful history of the Shrine is told in a book entitled, “History of the Diocesan Shrine of the Immaculate Conception’, written by Van Buren Colley. One chapter tells about the dedication ceremonies for the new church in 1869:

“Yesterday, by ten o’clock, a dense mass of people had gathered on Loyd and Hunter streets in front of the new Catholic Church, but the doors were not opened until half past ten, when the Church was soon filled.

Nearly one thousand had assembled in it.”

When the crowd gathers in 1969, it will see a building that has had changes in its structure and in its parishioners.

Concrete and tall government buildings have replaced trees and dirt roads. Immaculate Conception, and its neighbor in tradition, Central Presbyterian Church, stand proud in the center of continuing growth, as construction is started on a new high rise apartment building across the street.

“Georgia Plaza Park”, a project of the city, county, and the state, will be constructed next door to Immaculate Conception.

To keep pace with these modern surroundings, many changes have been made in the church structure since 1964. The parish school, which staffed by the Sisters of Mercy, was closed in 1967 to make way for the plaza.

The parish hall in the church basement was then completely renovated. The large room now has sliding petitions and a soundproof ceiling.

In times past, the pastor had to come down on a cold morning to light the two gas stoves, but now he can just turn on the central heat or the air conditioning in the summer.

Upstairs the Shrine is noisy with the sounds of renovation. Many of the changes are already evident.

Father Murray said that since last October, the outside has been improved with a new slate roof, gutters, water-proofing and new bricks.

New iron staircases were built to replace the old wooden ones in the towers. The fire inspectors and bell ringers refused to use the rickety old steps.

The interior is now painted white with gold accents, instead of dark green. The Stations of the Cross had aged with coats of shellac, so new wooden ones are being carved in Italy. They are the gift of one benefactor.

Father Murray said, “We have tried to retain the historical continuity of the Shrine. So we are having the same ends carved on the new pews as were on the old ones and the parishioners hardly know the difference. The stations will be traditional to blend in with the decor.”

The new altar will be a table set in front of the carved marble altar now standing. It will be made of the same marble to blend with the background.

Because Immaculate Conception is a downtown church, it has many visitors and transients. Father Murray sees many Catholics just passing through Atlanta, who feel a sense of privacy in coming to a strange church.

However, there is a very loyal core of about 150 parishioners. Many people whose parents and grandparents were members of the parish come back and some come from as far away as Smyrna.

Father Murray’s favorite stories in the history of the church are those about the Irish Horse Traders. This group, which numbers more than 100,000 descendants, used the Shrine in Atlanta as its meeting place from 1881 on. Every April 28, a Requiem Mass and burials were held and the traders would come form miles around.

Perhaps some of these “Rileys” or “O’Haras” will be among the crowd gathered on Nov. 22 to honor the 100-year-old Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.