Atlanta archdiocese launches $185 million campaign, its first in 30 years, to keep pace with a fast-growing flock
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USAThe Archdiocese of Atlanta has launched "Rooted in Christ—Growing in Faith," a $185 million campaign — its first archdiocese-wide campaign in nearly 30 years — to help parishes, schools and ministries keep up with one of the fastest-growing Catholic populations in the United States.
Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer announced the campaign in a letter to the faithful published November 2, calling it a response to a community that keeps growing "in remarkable ways through vibrant parishes, strong participation in the sacraments, flourishing ministries and increasing vocations to the priesthood and religious life." The campaign was publicly announced October 17 by Deacon Rick Medina, the archdiocese's chief advancement officer, at a gathering of donors and supporters at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
Nearly half the goal is already raised, Medina said, thanks to a silent phase that included meetings with major donors and 10 parishes that have already launched their own campaigns. The fundraising will roll out in waves of 10 to 20 parishes at a time, and the endowments it creates will be housed in the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia, overseen by a trust created by the archdiocese.
The need, the archdiocese says, is visible every Sunday. Atlanta ranked as the 49th-largest diocese in the country by Catholic population in 2010 and the 25th-largest by 2020, and by some measures it is the second-fastest-growing diocese in the nation. The archdiocese's planning office estimates that 43 percent of its Catholics identified as Hispanic in 2020 and 42 percent as white, with other cultural groups making up the rest.
Growth has outpaced the buildings. On any given Sunday, 30 of the archdiocese's 104 parishes and missions have at least one Mass at 85 percent capacity or more, and at least six parishes have more people than seats at regular Sunday liturgies. Some churches, including St. John Vianney in Lithia Springs and Our Lady of the Americas Mission in Lilburn, open overflow spaces every weekend.
Vocations have not kept pace either. In 1980, each priest in the archdiocese cared for an average of 560 Catholics; by 2020, that number had jumped to more than 4,000, and some pastors celebrate three or four Masses per weekend day. But vocations are now booming: the archdiocese welcomed its largest seminarian class ever in 2026 and is supporting almost 70 seminarians, adding $600,000 in formation expenses this year alone. The campaign aims to raise $10 million for an endowment to pay for priestly formation for generations to come.
The campaign rests on three pillars. The first, supporting parishes and clergy, covers new and expanded churches, clergy formation and ongoing support for priests' physical, mental and spiritual health. The second, forming missionary disciples, includes $5 million to expand family faith formation, $8 million for college campus ministry, and $40 million for Catholic schools — including a scholarship endowment, $2.5 million to expand the Open Doors program and $2.5 million for an enrollment awareness campaign. The third, uplifting vulnerable neighbors, will fund Catholic Charities Atlanta and St. Vincent de Paul of Georgia as they expand services in housing and mental health.
Parishes keep a share of what they raise: 30 percent of their set goal, 70 percent of everything raised between 100 and 200 percent of goal, and every penny above 200 percent. "The Holy Spirit has certainly been a part of the growth that we've experienced in these last years, and we see no end to it," Hartmayer said. "And so we have a responsibility to prepare for the growth and also to take care of the increasing people who come to the church."
Sources: The Georgia Bulletin, "Rooted in Christ—Growing in Faith: Archdiocese launches $185 million campaign" (Nov. 2, 2026); Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, letter to the faithful of Atlanta on "Rooted in Christ—Growing in Faith" (Nov. 2, 2026); Archdiocese of Atlanta, "Rooted in Christ—Growing in Faith" capital campaign page.
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