Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Catholic church in Sweet Auburn, Atlanta, United States
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is a three-story combination church and school building in Atlanta's Sweet Auburn neighborhood, on the same block as Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthplace. It was established in November 1912 as the Our Lady of Lourdes Colored Mission, the first Catholic mission for African Americans in Atlanta and the second in Georgia.
Our Lady of Lourdes was established in November 1912 by Ignatius Lissner of the Society of African Missions, with funding from Katharine Drexel, founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. It was the second Catholic mission for African Americans in Georgia and the first in Atlanta, and Lissner served as its first priest. The school it housed closed in 2001 for lack of archdiocesan funding.
The church was founded in 1912 as Our Lady of Lourdes Colored Mission, the first Catholic mission for African Americans in Atlanta. It shared a high degree of ecumenism with several Protestant churches in Sweet Auburn, and during the civil rights movement many church members protested for increased civil rights.
The church stands on the same block as Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthplace, within the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, so visitors can combine the two on foot. The site is a contributing property of the park, and the surrounding Sweet Auburn streets are best explored on foot from the park's visitor facilities.
The church stands on the same block as Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthplace; as a child he often played on the parish grounds. The school opened in the three-story combination building and stayed active until 2001, when the Archdiocese of Atlanta closed it for lack of funding.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,784 contributors worldwide.