BY ANTHONY R. DEES

ATLANTA--Over the past century, priests of the Society of Mary, popularly known as Marists, have had a large role in the growth of the church and in education in North Georgia.

Their congregation was among those responding to a plea 100 years ago from the bishop of Savannah who sought more priests to minister to the growing number of Catholics scattered all around Georgia.

On May 16, 1886, Thomas A. Becker was installed as sixth bishop of the Diocese of Savannah. Prior to his appointment, he was first bishop of Wilmington, Del. The Savannah diocese included all of Georgia and was made up of 20 churches and 40 chapels and mission stations. There were 24 priests to serve this large diocese.

When it became apparent to Bishop Becker that more priests were needed to better serve the diocese and to respond to its inevitable growth, he wrote:

"As to our small and already over-occupied clergy, I do not see how they can do any more than they have already done and are doing, in sickness, in storms, and in poverty for those whom they attend without any distinction of race or color."

To ease the situation, Becker acquired the services of two priests from the Diocese of Wilmington, one missionary priest from France, one missionary from Canada, one ordained for the diocese, and one who came from the Diocese of Scranton, Pa., to minister to the Hungarian colony in West Georgia.

To further alleviate the shortage, Bishop Becker turned to religious communities. The Jesuits were serving in Augusta and agreed to send priests to Macon and assume responsibility of Pio Nono College. He wrote to the Benedictines and to the Josephites. The Benedictines responded and sent priests to Savannah's Sacred Heart parish and to minister to the black community.

Upon the suggestion of Father Benjamin Keiley, also from Wilmington and his successor as bishop of Savannah, Bishop Becker wrote to the Society of Mary requesting assistance. The Marists responded and came to Georgia in June 1897.

Bishop Becker offered the Marists the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul (now Sacred Heart) in Atlanta in perpetuum and the care of St. Francis Xavier parish in Brunswick. Father William Gibbons, SM, and Father John Guinan, SM, arrived on June 6, 1897, and celebrated their first Mass in Atlanta on June 8.

Soon after their arrival the Marists determined the property and church at Marietta and Alexander Streets was inadequate and a new location was needed for the 340 parishioners. Property was purchased at Peachtree and Ivy Streets for the new church. Some parishioners thought the location was so far out of town that it would never serve a useful purpose. Others felt it was a desirable location in a residential area which would grow.

Atlanta architect W.T. Dowling received the commission and designed the large brick church in the French Romanesque style. On May 1, 1898, Bishop Becker dedicated the new church and its name was changed to Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Following the dedication, Father Gibbons retired and was succeeded by Father John Edward Gunn, SM. Throughout Father Gunn's pastorate, additional property was purchased for church needs. In 1901 Marist College, a school for boys, was constructed and opened adjacent to the church. Two houses on Courtland Street were renovated and opened in 1909 as a parochial school staffed by the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Other improvements to the property were made and by 1910 the parish numbered 1,250 members with an additional 300 in the North Georgia missions.

The parish was soon to lose its pastor as Pope Pius X appointed Father Gunn bishop of Natchez, Miss. The new bishop was consecrated at Sacred Heart Aug. 29, 1911.

Ten additional Marists would serve as pastor at Sacred Heart from 1911-1965. These pastors, their assistants, and the Marists assigned to Marist College provided dedicated service to the parish, to the community, and to the school.

In addition to the Sacred Heart ministry, the Marists cared for the missions in North Georgia. A 1907 listing shows missions in these places: Adairsville, Athens, Buda-Pest, Calhoun, Cartersville, Clarkesville, Dalton, Ellijay, Gainesville, Marble Hill, Marietta, Newnan, Rome and Tallapoosa. Missions in South Georgia were at Brunswick, Waycross, Darien and St. Simons Island. No doubt priests made calls at other places as well.

As time passed, the missions grew. Some became parishes. More diocesan priests were available to care for the parishes and the missions in their care. For example, diocesan priests were assigned as resident pastors at Athens in 1910 and at Rome in 1929.

St. Joseph in Marietta, established as a mission in 1907, became a parish in 1952 and continued to be served by the Marists until 1996. During these years a parochial school was opened and a large church facility completed. Catholic parishioners increased greatly.

In 1965 Sacred Heart, Atlanta, was returned to the care of archdiocesan priests and the Marists were given pastoral care of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish. Marists continue to serve there.

Marist College remained at the Peachtree and Ivy Streets location until moving into a new facility located at Ashford-Dunwoody Road in 1962. Its name changed to Marist School and it continued teaching boys in grades 7-12. In 1976 the school became coeducational and girls were admitted. Dedicated Marists and lay teachers have provided excellence in education for 96 years.

From 1922-1935, the bishop of the Diocese of Savannah was a Marist, Bishop Michael J. Keyes, SM. During these years the church continued its growth. Bishop Keyes was active in the crusade to stamp out bigotry and supportive of the Catholic Laymen's Association in its efforts to spread truth about Catholic beliefs. At the time of his retirement, the bishop was remembered for his help to the sick, aged and orphans, and to the poor.

For 100 years Marists have provided spiritual direction, religious and academic education, comfort in times of stress, and charity in time of need to the people of North Georgia. They have witnessed the growth of the Catholic population, the change from a rural to an urban society, and the challenges of the advent of the 21st century, yet they remain constant reminders of the Catholic faith.

Anthony R. Dees is archivist for the Archdiocese of Atlanta.