The Basilica in the Heart of Downtown Atlanta
On Peachtree Street, the main artery of downtown Atlanta, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus has stood for more than a century as a Catholic anchor in the middle of the city. With its Romanesque arches, stained glass, and a recently restored sanctuary interior, the church is one of the most recognizable houses of worship in Midtown. It is also one of a small number of parishes in the United States that carries the title of Minor Basilica, a designation granted by the Pope in 2010 in recognition of the building's historical, liturgical, and pastoral significance.
The parish describes itself as a place where Mass is the "source and summit" of the Christian life and where every person is invited, welcomed, accepted, loved, and respected "no matter your background, personal history, age, ethnicity, culture, marital status, self-image, esteem, past or present religious affiliation." The motto of the parish ministry is to be a welcoming place where every person can encounter Christ and learn to live as a disciple.
From Sts. Peter and Paul to a Minor Basilica
The parish is the second Catholic congregation founded in Atlanta. On February 28, 1880, Bishop William H. Gross, the Fifth Bishop of Savannah, established Sts. Peter and Paul Church and dedicated the structure at Marietta and Alexander (now Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard) Streets on July 4, 1880. The Sisters of Mercy staffed the parish school, and the Sisters of Mercy also operated St. Joseph's Infirmary on Baker Street, which served the sick and the poor of the city.
On May 6, 1897, Bishop Thomas A. Becker entrusted the parish to the Marist Fathers, who would guide it for nearly seventy years. The cornerstone of a new, larger church was laid on November 21, 1897, with grand ceremony. Bishop Becker presided, and Father Benjamin Keiley, a former pastor of Immaculate Conception in Atlanta who would later become the Seventh Bishop of Savannah, preached. Bishop Gross changed the parish's titular patron from Sts. Peter and Paul to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in keeping with the popular devotion of the era.
The new church, designed by Atlanta architect Walter T. Downing, was dedicated by Bishop Becker on May 1, 1898. The building, a Romanesque structure with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, a pillared triforium, and round arches, has defined the parish ever since. The first organ, a Hook and Hastings, was installed in 1899, and an inaugural concert of Rossini's Stabat Mater was held on May 5 of that year. In 1902, twenty-eight stained glass windows from Mayer Studios of Munich and New York were installed, many bearing the names of prominent Atlanta Catholic families such as Spalding and Haverty.
In 1907, the church experienced its first major renovation. Exterior copper facing replaced the original shingles on the steeples. Inside, the Austrian artist Paulo Pavesich, who had frescoed Atlanta's Grand Theatre, Terminal Station, and the home of S. M. Inman, painted the apse in ivory, violet, and gold. In 1911, the pastor, Rev. John E. Gunn, was named the Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Natchez (now the Diocese of Jackson) by Pope St. Pius X, and he was consecrated Bishop at Sacred Heart on August 29, 1911, the first Catholic Bishop to be consecrated in Atlanta.
On June 9, 1920, with the building twice renovated and the debt fully paid, Bishop Edward Allen of Mobile celebrated the Consecration Liturgy. Pope Pius XII created the Diocese of Atlanta in 1956, and on February 10, 1962, Pope John XXIII elevated it to an Archdiocese. In 1965, the Marist Fathers left Sacred Heart, and Archdiocesan clergy resumed pastoral care. In 1968, the parish began the first regularly scheduled Mass in Spanish within the Archdiocese of Atlanta. In 1976, Sacred Heart was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The defining moment of the modern era came on February 22, 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI elevated Sacred Heart to a Minor Basilica. A Mass of Elevation was celebrated on August 21, 2010. The parish celebrated its 125th anniversary of the dedication of the church between November 2022 and May 2023, culminating in a Mass on the anniversary of the 1898 dedication.
For Such a Time as This: A Complete Interior Renewal
In July 2024, the parish began a sweeping interior redecoration project called "For Such a Time as This," named after the book of Esther. The work was completed on October 24, 2025, and Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer, OFM Conv., celebrated the Dedication of the Church and Altar on November 16, 2025. The project's stated goal was to create a welcoming environment that supports the various liturgies celebrated within it, is balanced and appropriate for a Basilica, follows current liturgical guidelines, and respects the history of Sacred Heart, all while looking ahead to the 150th anniversary of the parish's founding in 2030.
The renovation included plaster restoration on every surface, a new decorative paint scheme, an updated apse mural, several new liturgical items in the sanctuary, new and restored lighting, new audio and visual systems, and new flooring and pews. The decorative work was carried out by skilled artists from Conrad Schmitt Studio, Inc., who hand-painted faux stone blocks, columns, and figural murals throughout the building, with each faux grout line painted by hand.
The new Altar, Ambo, and Tabernacle Stand were designed as a unified family of furnishings, the hierarchically most important elements of the sanctuary, expressing the different sacraments through shared materials and detail. The Sanctuary Dome radiates a golden glow, symbolizing heaven, with Christ standing at its center as Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World), surrounded by angels in adoration. The ceiling of the sanctuary depicts the Holy Spirit descending from heaven, surrounded by stars and crosses on a rich blue field reminiscent of the mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy. Three blooming flowers on the upper walls of the sanctuary symbolize Christ's Crucifixion: the Thistle for the Crown of Thorns, the Red Anemone for Christ's Blood, and the Passionflower with its ten petals for the apostles, five anthers for his wounds, and three stigma for the Trinity.
A new Sanctuary Crucifix, more than six feet tall, was designed after lengthy discussions with artists and theologians. It features a black matte cross with an ivory-toned corpus and a gilded halo, drawn from a small eighteenth-century artifact found in a sacristy cabinet. The design represents Christ alive, embodying vitality and hope rather than literal suffering. The Triumphal Arch was repainted in styles reminiscent of the artistic period between 1917 and 1940, and is adorned with the figures of Saints Kateri Tekakwitha, Damien of Molokai, Theresa of Calcutta, Frances Xavier Cabrini, Venerable Augustus Tolton, and Gertrude the Great.
The Marist Chapel of St. Peter Chanel
As part of the renovation, an adoration chapel was created in the underutilized space to the right of the altar, named the Marist Chapel of St. Peter Chanel in honor of Sacred Heart's history with the Marist community. St. Peter Chanel, a Marist priest martyred in Fiji in 1841, gives the chapel its name. The floor is white Carrara Gioia marble from the same vein as that used in the main sanctuary, lending a luminous, heavenly quality to the space.
The Monstrance Stand in the chapel was crafted from three elements sourced from the Basilica itself: the marble top and alabaster columns come from the old high altar, and the brass front comes from the old ambo. The two pendant lanterns that hang in the chapel date from 1930 and were restored and updated to modern technology by the same Rambusch firm that originally installed them, still family-owned ninety-five years later. Six historic brass prie-dieu kneelers, the gift of Mrs. William J. Burns of Pittsburgh in the early 1900s, were disassembled, cleaned, restored, polished, and recovered in gold and white fabric. The pew used by Mother Teresa during her 1995 visit to Sacred Heart was also refurbished and placed in the chapel. Oil paintings of St. Peter Chanel and St. Teresa of Calcutta, by long-time parishioner and local artist Cathy Ehrler, flank the stand for the monstrance.
Beginning September 7, Eucharistic Adoration is offered daily Monday through Friday from 12:45 to 1:00 p.m., following the 12:10 p.m. Mass, and on Wednesday evenings from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., followed by Solemn Benediction. The faithful can register as Guardians of the Eucharist through the parish.
Mass Times, Reconciliation, and Languages
Mass is celebrated in the Basilica on Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. (the Vigil Mass); Sundays at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m. (in Spanish), and 5:00 p.m.; and Monday through Friday at 12:10 p.m. On Thursdays, the 12:10 p.m. service is a Communion Service rather than Mass. Confessions are heard on Fridays at 11:00 a.m. and Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass is livestreamed, as are Holy Days of Obligation at 12:10 p.m. The Spanish-language Mass at 12:30 p.m. on Sundays is supported by a full Spanish-language ministry, including a Spanish choir, lectors, acolytes, ushers, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, baptism and quinceañera coordination, and a Bible study circle (Círculo Bíblico) that meets on the second and fourth Sundays of each month.
Sacraments: Becoming Catholic, Baptism, Weddings, and Funerals
The Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) is the formal process by which adults become Catholic or complete their Sacraments of Initiation. The process includes a Period of Inquiry for new inquirers, a Catechumenate for those preparing for Baptism, the Rite of Acceptance, the Rite of Election (usually on the First Sunday of Lent), and culminates with the Easter Vigil, when Catechumens receive Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. Inquiry meetings are held in the Double Classroom downstairs after the 10:00 a.m. Mass on selected Sundays, and Zoom meetings are available two Thursday evenings each month. Robert Rivers, Director of OCIA and Faith Formation, oversees the program.
For infant baptism, parents must be registered members of the parish for at least three months, complete the Baptism Request Form, provide the child's birth certificate or hospital letter (or final degree of adoption), name godparents who meet the canonical requirements, and attend a baptism preparation class. If a child is seven years or older, formal catechetical instruction is required before baptism.
Weddings at the Basilica are open to both parishioners and non-parishioners, with at least one member of the couple being Catholic. Scheduling should be done at least six months before the desired date through the Wedding Coordinator. A detailed Wedding Guide and questionnaire help couples plan the liturgy.
Funerals are arranged through Deacon Marino Gonzalez or Kelly Schreckenberger, with the parish providing a Funeral Coordinator to assist with logistics and compassionate support for the family on the day of the service.
Faith Formation for Children and Youth
The parish Faith Formation Program serves students from Kindergarten through Grade 12, including those preparing for the Sacraments. Classes meet from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Sundays during the school year, beginning in September. The program includes Sacramental Preparation for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion, as well as Confirmation Preparation for eligible youth. As the Archdiocese transitions to sixth grade as the typical age for Confirmation, students in Grades 8, 9, and 10 who are eligible participate in Confirmation preparation during the program year.
Families must be registered in the parish prior to enrolling children in Faith Formation. Catechists and assistants are always needed, and training is provided. The Basilica Children's Choir is open to all parish children in grades K through 12, with rehearsals immediately following Religious Education classes and lunch provided.
A Parish with Many Ministries
The Basilica's ministries are organized under the broad scriptural call of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and the categories of Liturgical Ministries, Life, Dignity, and Justice, Parish Life, Evangelization and Discipleship, and Administration.
Liturgical ministries include Altar Servers, the Audio/Video Ministry that manages livestream and broadcast technology, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, Lectors, Sacristans, Ushers, and Greeters. Each ministry has an English-language and Spanish-language counterpart in Ministerio Hispano.
The Ladies Altar and Rosary Society, organized in 1895, is the longest continuously functioning organization in the parish. Members meet on Fridays to prepare the church and sacristy for Masses and other Sacraments, dusting, polishing, doing laundry, ironing, and preparing candles. All women of the parish are welcome.
The Intercessory Prayer Group gathers in the conference room on the second Wednesday of every month at 1:30 p.m. for an hour of prayer for the needs recorded in the parish's Book of Intercession, for the Basilica Parish, the Universal Church, the world, and specifically for the Holy Father, the Archbishop, and the Pastor.
The Council of Catholic Women (CCW) seeks to be a channel through which the Catholic women of the parish use their unique talents in service to God and neighbor. The Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic men's organization, is represented locally by a council following the four core principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism.
"Cor Unum" ("One Heart") is the parish's Young Adult community, growing in numbers and inviting new members through a GroupMe chat. The Social/Hospitality Committee plans and coordinates parish social events, including receptions for First Holy Communion and Confirmation, new parishioner coffees, and special parish parties. Offertory Counters meet on Monday mornings to tally the weekend donations.
Music at the Basilica
The Basilica Principal Choir leads the congregation in song at the Sunday 10:00 a.m. Mass, and also sings at the Christmas midnight Mass, during the Triduum of Holy Week, and on Easter Sunday. Practice is on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the choir loft and on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in the Large Assembly Room. Choir robes are provided. Director Billy Krape, Parish Organist, leads the choir.
"Hearts on Fire" is the contemporary music group that leads the congregation at the Sunday 5:00 p.m. Mass, and also at the Christmas 7:00 p.m. Mass, during the Triduum, and on Easter Sunday.
The Basilica Children's Choir is open to all parish children in grades K through 12. The Spanish-language Ministerio de Música leads the music at the 12:30 p.m. Sunday Mass.
Outreach to Those in Need
Outreach is central to parish life at the Basilica. Every Thursday morning, the parish offers food distribution to people experiencing homelessness. Volunteers prepare lunch bags and coffee on Wednesdays and distribute them beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Thursdays. Donations of bread, coffee, dry creamer, sugar, water, and individual packages of chips or cookies are always welcome.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) is an international Catholic lay organization dedicated to serving the poor, suffering, and marginalized through person-to-person service. Vincentians at the Basilica provide direct aid, including food, clothing, housing assistance, and financial help for bills, to neighbors in need.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and crochets handmade items, including prayer shawls, lap blankets, hats, scarves, and baby items, for members of the parish and for the Outreach Ministry. Members meet on the third Sunday of each month from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
The Basilica also supports several community partner organizations. The Gift of Grace House, opened in 1994 through efforts of the order founded by Mother Teresa, cares for indigent women suffering from HIV/AIDS in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood. Parish volunteers help prepare and serve quarterly fish fries. The Midtown Assistance Center (MAC) is an interfaith ministry providing emergency assistance to the working poor of Midtown and downtown Atlanta, and the parish organizes food drives, collects men's clothing, work shoes, and hygiene items, and provides financial and volunteer support. During the cold months, parish volunteers prepare and serve meals at the Night Shelter and men from the parish spend one night at the shelter to provide spiritual comfort and friendship.
Additional parish ministries include Hospital Ministry to Emory Midtown and the Respect Life Ministry, which educates parishioners about current events and Atlanta activities that promote the dignity of human life. The Black Catholic Ministry holds the parish accountable to its baptismal commitment to witness and proclaim the teaching of Jesus Christ and to uphold the doctrines of the universal Catholic Church, while serving as a forum to enhance the cultural and educational agendas of the African Diaspora communities within the parish. The ministry hosts the annual Black History Mass in February and celebrates Black Catholic History Month in November.
The Stained Glass Windows and the Building
The most magnificent stained glass windows in the South, as The Atlanta Constitution described them in 1901, came from Mayer Studios of Munich and New York. The Rose Window over the Western Doors onto Peachtree Street dominates the front of the building. Seven windows in the apse depict scenes including St. Margaret Mary Alacoque adoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Christ giving the Keys to St. Peter (in memory of Mrs. Burns), the Agony in the Garden (in memory of Bishop Gunn), and St. Simon Stock receiving the Scapular from Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Fourteen side aisle windows tell the story of Christ from the Annunciation through the Descent of the Holy Spirit, including the Nativity, the Presentation, the Wedding Feast at Cana, the Sermon on the Mount, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the Ascension. The windows in O'Hagan Parish Hall and the Marist Chapel include symbols of the Holy Spirit, the Ave Maria, the Creation of the World, the Crown of Thorns and Nails, and the Eastern Orthodox Cross and Crown of Glory.
The names inscribed on the windows honor the families and individuals who built Sacred Heart into the spiritual center it became: Major William B. Cox, the post-Civil War businessman who helped rebuild Atlanta; his wife Kate Attaway Cox and their granddaughter Mrs. James L. Dickey; Captain T. M. Brady, the sculptor who carved the Lion of Lucerne in Oakland Cemetery; Mrs. Elizabeth Burns of Pittsburgh, whose generosity was credited with making the building and Marist College possible; J. J. Haverty, founder of one of the largest furniture companies in the country and a driving force behind the creation of the High Museum of Art; Dr. R. D. Spalding, the Confederate veteran and successful wholesale shoe merchant; Father John E. Gunn, the pastor who founded Marist College and paid off the church debt; Father John J. Guinan, who served the parish in some capacity for fourteen years; and John Ryan, the pioneer retail merchant of Atlanta who helped train many of the city's leading businessmen.
The Basilica celebrated its 125th anniversary of the dedication of the church between November 2022 and May 2023, including a Tree Planting on November 20, 2022, commemorating the laying of the cornerstone 125 years before, and a Quasquicentennial Mass on April 30, 2023, marking the 1898 dedication. A Time Capsule was buried in May 2023 for successors to open in the year 2148.
A Living Minor Basilica in Midtown
At the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the rhythm of the week moves between the older observances of the Roman Catholic faith and the day-to-day work of a Midtown parish. Daily Mass at 12:10 p.m., weekday Eucharistic Adoration in the Marist Chapel, Wednesday evening Adoration with Solemn Benediction, Saturday Confessions and Vigil Mass, four Sunday Masses in two languages, the work of the food distribution on Thursday mornings, the prayers of the Intercessory Prayer Group on second Wednesdays, the rehearsals of the Basilica Principal Choir on Wednesdays and Sundays, the Sunday morning work of the Ladies Altar and Rosary Society on Fridays, and the Sunday Faith Formation classes for children and youth all form the cadence of parish life.
Parishioners and visitors are invited to register as active members, to enroll children in Faith Formation, to request a Mass Intention or a memorial for the altar flowers or candles, to sign up as Guardians of the Eucharist, to attend OCIA inquiry meetings, or simply to step into the Marist Chapel for a quiet hour with the Blessed Sacrament. The building itself, with its newly painted walls, restored plaster, gilded details, hand-painted figural murals, fresh lighting, and unified sanctuary furnishings, stands as a 145-year-long testament to the encounter between Christ and the people of downtown Atlanta.