Archbishop Thomas Donnellan has announced that a new parish has been designated for the Stone Mountain area in DeKalb County, taking some territory from Holy Cross Parish, but most from Saint Thomas More Parish.

The new pastor is Father Joseph Beltran, who is presently pastor of Saint Philip Benizi Parish in Jonesboro. Father Beltran will go to the new area to take up residency and organize the parish this summer.

The following boundaries of the new parish, for which a name will be chosen later, have been set by the Archbishop:

Beginning at the intersection of the Gwinnett County line and Lawrenceville highway, thence southwesterly to Cooledge Road, south on Cooledge Road to Brockett Road, south on Brockett to Ponce de Leon Avenue, southwest on Ponce de Leon Avenue to the Perimeter Highway (I-285), south on the Perimeter to Redan Road, east on Redan Road to Deshon Road, northeast on Deshon Road to the Gwinnett County line.

Ten acres of land were purchased last year in the new area, on the corner of Shepherd Road and Mountain View Drive. Eventually the new parish complex will be built on this site.