Missionary priests began celebrating mass for railroad workers during the early 1840s. Atlanta’s first Catholic church opened in 1848. The humble wooden structure was spared from the burning of Atlanta in 1864 by General Sherman’s soldiers. The reason: Father O’Reilly had provided medical help to both Union and Confederate troops. After the Civil War, work began on the church’s replacement. The current Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception opened in 1873 based on the Gothic Revival design by Willian Parkins. It is the second oldest building in the city.
