Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church (Atlanta)
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is a Catholic Church in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Located in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood, the church was established as a mission in 1912 and is a contributing property of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church | |
---|---|
![]() Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church (2020) | |
![]() ![]() Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church ![]() ![]() Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church ![]() ![]() Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church | |
33°45′17″N 84°22′19″W | |
Location | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
Denomination | Catholic Church |
History | |
Founded | November 1912 |
Founder(s) | Ignatius Lissner |
Dedication | Our Lady of Lourdes |
Administration | |
Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta |
Province | Ecclesiastical Province of Atlanta |
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church | |
Part of | Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park (ID74000677) |
Added to NRHP | May 2, 1974 |
History
The church was established in November 1912 by Ignatius Lissner with funding from Katharine Drexel, who had founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (SBS).[1] The church was located in Sweet Auburn, an African American neighborhood in Atlanta, and shared a high degree of ecumenism with several Protestant churches in the neighborhood.[2] The church, originally known as Our Lady of Lourdes Colored Mission, was built as a three-story combination church and school, and Lissner served as its first pastor.[3] At the time, it was the second Catholic mission intended to serve African Americans in Georgia and the first in Atlanta.[3] The church is located on the same block as the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr.,[3] who as a kid would often play on the parish grounds.[4] During the civil rights movement, many church members protested for increased civil rights. The school would remain active until 2001, when it closed due to a lack of funding from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta.[1]
References
- Georgia Historical Society 2014.
- Moore 2018, p. 135.
- Presidential Parkway Construction 1984.
- Moore 2018, p. 136.
Bibliography
- "Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church: Atlanta's First African-American Catholic Church". Georgia Historical Society. September 16, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- Moore, Andrew S. (2018). "Black and Catholic in Atlanta: Challenge and Hope". In Cummings, Kathleen Sprows; Matovina, Timothy; Orsi, Robert A. (eds.). Catholics in the Vatican II Era: Local Histories of a Global Event. Cambridge University Press. pp. 135–156. ISBN 978-1-107-14116-2 – via Google Books.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Presidential Parkway Construction, I-75 to Ponce de Leon, Atlanta: Environmental Impact Statement. 1984 – via Google Books.
External links
Media related to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church (Atlanta) at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website