HIstory
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St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church was established by the Passionist Congregation in 1954 at the invitation of Bishop Francis E. Hyland of the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta, to serve the needs of a growing African-American community in the city. Father Emmanuel trainer served as the first pastor and celebrated the first Mass on January 20, 1955 in the Birch Room of McLendon Hospital. The first parishioners were from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, which at the time, the only parish serving the African-American Community in the area. A school and convent were built and dedicated in 1958 and originally staffed by the Sister of St. Joseph of Baden, Pennsylvania. Over the years the school was a stable presence for the parish and the surrounding neighborhoods until the time of its closing in June 1989. Its graduates were among the first African-Americans to enter Atlanta Catholic high schools and the University of Georgia.The church and adjoining monastery were built and the church was dedicated by Bishop Hyland on October 23, 1960. From that time to the present, more than thirty Passionist Priests and Brothers have served the parish including two African-American Passionists, Fathers Melvin Shorter and Michael Greene. For some years, Passionist seminarians received their early training in pastoral ministry at St. Paul of the Cross, and both they and the Passionist Volunteers, who began to come in the 1970’s, conducted summer camps for the children. The ministry of the Passionists often extended beyond the parish. In 1961 the new Drexel High School was opened on the adjoining property and Father Richard Leary served as its first principal. In 1963, Father Raphael Amrhein organized the Newman Club at the Atlanta University Center. In 1968, the parish established a Health Clinic staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses in the Perry Homes Project, and in 1972 Father Richard Leary and Brother Michael Stomber assisted the poor at Freedom House in Mechanicsville.Over the years, parish ministries flourished and St Paul of the Cross has served as a center of faith for numerous African-American Catholics who worked together with others to end racism and foster interracial and multi-cultural harmony in Atlanta. At the time of its Golden Jubilee in 2004, Archbishop John F. Donoghue wrote: “Times change, and so do parishes. But I have every confidence that, true to the theme of your celebration, ‘Celebrating the Past and Facing New Horizons,’ ... St. Paul of the Cross Parish will continue to be a vital and important part of the Archdiocese of Atlanta for years to come.” One of the new horizons appeared shortly afterward with the arrival of many Hispanic families in the area. The pastor at the time, Fr. Jed Sumampong, C.P., welcomed them and encouraged them to take an active part in the life of the parish community. Today, due to rapidly changing demographics, Metropolitan Atlanta has become more diverse. As a consequence, the Archdiocese now numbers more than 800,000 Catholics of various racial and cultural origins. This trend will continue to affect parishes including St. Paul of the Cross.
Situated in the northwestern part of the city of Atlanta, on a beautiful 37-acre campus, St. Paul of the Cross Parish is destined for a bright future. Now numbering nearly 500 families, its energies are galvanized to meet that future with creativity and determination in fulfillment of its mission to “welcome the stranger, serve the poor, free the oppressed, speak out for justice, and love one another” (Mission Statement).
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