By Gretchen Keiser, Staff Writer

ATLANTA—A lawsuit over the unauthorized use of Mother Teresa’s name has been dismissed after a Woodstock group agreed to no longer call themselves the Mother Teresa chapter of the Catholic Church of North America.

The Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa’s order, went to court after several months of quiet efforts to dissuade the use of the Nobel Prize-winner’s name by the church were unsuccessful, an attorney for the archdiocese said.

“Both the archdiocese and the Missionaries of Charity insisted that we, the attorneys, make every effort to speak to them, basically asking or begging them to stop using the name of Mother Teresa,” said Matthew Coles.

Efforts began in April to reach an agreement with the group of about 18 members, that the lawsuit said “operates as a chapter of or as an alternative name to American Catholic Church of Georgia, Inc.” The lawsuit was filed in July, Coles said, when the group failed to respond to telephone calls, faxes or e-mails concerning the matter.

Dropping the use of Mother Teresa’s name was the only concern of the Missionaries of Charity and the archdiocese, the attorney said, and with that outcome and payment of $100 toward the attorney’s fee, the archdiocese dismissed the lawsuit.

The position of the archdiocese and the order was that Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity belong to the Roman Catholic Church and that the Woodstock church, which is not a part of the Roman Catholic Church, did not seek permission to use the name. The use of the name would mislead the public, cause confusion regarding the church and its relationship with the Roman Catholic Church and the order, and hurt the ability of the order to control use of the good name of Mother Teresa, it said.

“Georgia law recognizes that it is unlawful for one organization to use the name of another or a name closely associated with that organization for the purpose of appropriating the standing and goodwill which the original organization has built up in the community,” it said. “This right extends to charitable organizations in protecting the goodwill and reputation associated with their names and common associations.”