Joshua Bennett
Georgia has a long and complex history of Catholic influence and persecution. The Catholic Church in Georgia is one of the state's earliest and fastest-growing religious institutions, with approximately 1.2 million Catholics residing there as of 2012. While Spanish priests brought Catholicism to Georgia in the 16th and 17th centuries, seeking to convert Native Americans, the religion faced significant challenges under British rule and later with the onset of anti-Catholic sentiment in the 19th century. Georgia's founding in 1732 and 1733 under General James Oglethorpe, while marked by religious tolerance and pluralism, explicitly denied Catholics the right to worship in the colony, fearing Catholic sympathies with Catholic Spain. This denial of Catholic worship was short-lived, and by the late 18th century, Georgia's constitutions provided for varying levels of religious freedom, paving the way for the establishment of Catholic congregations in the state. However, Georgia witnessed a rise in anti-Catholicism in the late 19th century, leading to the dismantling of Catholic school systems and the emergence of groups like the reborn Ku Klux Klan, which targeted Catholics. Despite these challenges, the Catholic Church in Georgia has persevered and continues to grow, serving its diverse congregation through churches in Tbilisi, Sukhumi, Vale, and other cities across the state.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Founding of Georgia | The state of Georgia was founded in 1732 by James Oglethorpe, a British Member of Parliament and philanthropist. |
| Religious Affiliation of Founders | Oglethorpe and many other early Georgia colonists were members of the Church of England (Anglican Church), not the Catholic Church. |
| Religious Intentions | Oglethorpe envisioned Georgia as a colony that promoted religious tolerance and provided a refuge for those facing religious persecution, including Protestants, Catholics, and Jews. |
| Relationship with the Catholic Church | While Georgia was not founded specifically on Catholic principles, it did attract some Catholic settlers, and the first Catholic church in the colony was established in Savannah in 1796. |
| Religious Diversity | Georgia has historically been characterized by religious diversity, with a variety of Protestant denominations, as well as Catholic, Jewish, and later on, Muslim communities. |
| Separation of Church and State | The state of Georgia has always maintained a separation of church and state, with no official religion, in line with the broader principles of religious freedom and tolerance. |
| Influence of Christian Values | However, it is important to note that Christian values and principles, including those shared by both Protestant and Catholic traditions, have influenced the cultural and ethical landscape of the state. |
| Modern-Day Religious Landscape | According to recent surveys, the majority of Georgians identify as Christian, with a variety of denominations, while smaller populations identify with other religions or no religion. |
| Catholic Population | Approximately 11% of Georgia's population identifies as Catholic as of 2022, reflecting a mix of historical influences and modern immigration patterns. |
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What You'll Learn
Catholicism in Georgia before James Oglethorpe
The Catholic Church established itself in Georgia long before James Oglethorpe founded the colony in 1733. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Spanish priests came to Georgia, which was then a part of the Spanish province of La Florida, seeking to convert Native Americans. The first baptisms of Native Americans east of the Mississippi River were performed by Franciscan friars on Hernando de Soto's expedition near what is now Macon in 1540. In 1566, Father Pedro Martínez, a Jesuit, became the first "Georgia martyr" when he was killed by natives on Cumberland Island. Other Jesuits followed Martínez to work among the Guale tribe, whose predominance in the region led the Spanish to call the whole coastal area "Guale". In 1595, three missions were founded on the Golden Isles, serving as both religious centres and Christian towns. However, tensions arose due to language barriers, lack of resources, and conflicts between Catholic moral teachings and tribal customs. In 1597, a dispute over the Christian doctrine of monogamy led to the slaughter of missionaries by natives. Despite these challenges, the Jesuit and Franciscan orders managed to win over some locals.
During the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), British forces destroyed all but one of the 14 Spanish missions in the Apalachee region of northern Florida and southern Georgia. After the Anglo-Spanish War (1727-1728), Oglethorpe founded the British Colony of Georgia in 1733, named after King George II. While Oglethorpe himself was not anti-Catholic, the colony's charter outlawed the Catholic Church, reflecting British law and prejudice at the time. This ban prevented Catholicism from taking root in Georgia until after the American Revolution. By the time of Georgia's second constitution in 1789, the last official discrimination against Catholics had been abolished, but the plantation system resulted in most arable land being owned by Protestant landowners, limiting Catholic influence. In 1793, English-speaking Catholics from Maryland founded the first Catholic congregation in Georgia at Locust Grove, despite not having a resident priest.
In the early 19th century, John England served as bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, which included Catholic communities in Georgia. During this period, Georgian Catholics of the Latin Rite were canonically under the Diocese of Tiraspol, based on the Volga River. In 1845, under Imperial Russia, Catholics were prohibited from using the Byzantine Rite, leading many to adopt the Armenian Rite until religious liberty was established in 1905. In 1861, Georgian priest Fr. Peter Kharischirashvili founded the first two congregations of the Georgian Greek Catholic Church in Istanbul, serving Georgian Catholics in the diaspora. By the outbreak of World War I, there were approximately 50,000 Catholics in Georgia, with 40,000 Latins and the rest primarily Armenian Catholics.
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Catholicism in Georgia after the American Revolution
The original charter granted to the Georgia Trustees in 1732 contained only a few words about what religious practices would be allowed in the new colony. It specifically denied Catholics the right to worship in the Georgia colony. Despite this, Spanish priests came to Georgia in the 16th and 17th centuries, seeking to convert Native Americans. However, Catholicism failed to persevere once the British arrived.
Catholics would not find acceptance in Georgia until the American Revolution (1775-1783). The values of the Revolution and its emphasis on individual liberty, including freedom of religion, overcame some of the prejudice against Catholics. The state constitution of 1777 rewarded Catholics with some rights, although it prevented them from holding political office. Catholicism remained dormant in Georgia until the formal acceptance of the U.S. Constitution in 1789, when Catholics received equal rights under Georgia law. In the early 1790s, English settlers from Maryland established Georgia's first permanent Catholic congregation at Locust Grove.
In the 19th century, Catholic loyalty to the Confederacy during the Civil War helped to cement the religion's place in Georgia. The Sisters of Mercy, an order of nuns founded by Bishop John England, played an important role as nurses in Confederate hospitals. In the late 19th century, however, Georgia witnessed a marked rise in anti-Catholicism. The American Protective Association, a group that claimed to protect against the dangers of Catholic influence, dismantled Catholic public school systems in Macon and Augusta. This period also saw the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan, which committed itself to attacking Catholics, among other groups.
In the 20th century, Catholic Georgians experienced religious persecution under Soviet rule. In 1928, the Soviet secret police arrested Exarch Shio Batmanishvili and his priests, imprisoning them in the Gulag and eventually executing them. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a Latin apostolic administration was established in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, in 1993.
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Catholic influence in education
The Catholic Church in Georgia is one of the fastest-growing religious institutions in the state, with approximately 1.2 million Catholics residing there as of 2012. The Catholic Church has had a long history in Georgia, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries when Spanish priests first arrived in the region seeking to convert Native Americans. The Spanish missions had limited success, and Catholicism failed to persevere once the British arrived.
During the British rule, Catholics in Georgia faced official discrimination and were denied the right to worship in the colony. However, after the American Revolution, religious liberty became a cherished principle in Georgia, and Catholics were able to practice their faith freely.
In the 19th century, John England served as the bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, which included Georgia, and founded an order of nuns called the Sisters of Mercy who arrived in Georgia during the 1940s. In the late 19th century, however, Georgia witnessed a rise in anti-Catholicism, and Catholic public school systems in Macon and Augusta were dismantled by the American Protective Association.
In the early 20th century, there was a rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia, which targeted Catholics, among other groups. Despite these challenges, the Catholic Church in Georgia continued to grow, and today there are Catholic churches in Tbilisi, Sukhumi, Vale, Akhaltsikhe, Gori, and Batumi. The Catholic Church also provides mass in English for the growing Catholic expatriate population.
While it is difficult to say whether Georgia was founded on Catholic principles due to the complex religious landscape of the state throughout its history, it is clear that the Catholic Church has had a significant influence on education in the state. Catholic missionaries played a role in establishing schools and orphanages, such as the Bethesda Orphan Home founded by George Whitfield in the 1700s. Catholic nuns, such as the Sisters of Mercy, have also contributed to educational and social welfare initiatives in Georgia.
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Catholic congregations in Georgia
The Catholic Church in Georgia is one of the state's earliest and fastest-growing religious institutions. As of 2012, approximately 1.2 million Catholics resided in Georgia, served by the Archdiocese of Atlanta or the Diocese of Savannah. The Catholic Church established itself in Georgia long before James Oglethorpe founded the colony in 1733. Spanish priests came to Georgia in the 16th and 17th centuries seeking to convert Native Americans. The Spanish missions had limited success, and although the Jesuit and Franciscan orders managed to win over some locals, Catholicism failed to persevere once the British arrived.
In the early 1790s, a group of English settlers established Georgia's first permanent Catholic congregation in an area called Locust Grove, near modern-day Sharon. Well into the nineteenth century, this resilient community welcomed subsequent groups of Irish Catholic immigrants, including the family of Margaret Mitchell's mother, the Fitzgeralds. French Catholics, fleeing the French Revolution, settled in Savannah in the mid-1790s. Other small Catholic communities formed in Augusta and along the coast. The biggest challenge they all faced was maintaining their faith, as no priest had yet been assigned to Georgia by the Vatican. The Savannah community eventually brought a couple of French priests to the state, but the lack of clergy and the distance between congregations meant that Catholicism did not grow, but merely survived in the early republic.
In 1861, an ethnic Georgian and former Mekhitarist priest, Fr. Peter Kharischirashvili, founded the first two religious congregations of the Georgian Greek Catholic Church: the Servites of the Immaculate Conception, one for men and the other for women. They served Georgian Catholics living in the Ottoman Empire and elsewhere in the Georgian diaspora, such as in Montaubon, France. Both congregations survived until the late 1950s.
In 1915, the state witnessed the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan, which committed itself to attacking African Americans, Jews, and Catholics. Around this time, pro-Watson factions in the state legislature passed the Convent Inspection Act, which allowed local grand juries to inspect local convents, orphanages, and other Catholic institutions to ensure that people were not being held against their will. Catholics slowly rose to challenge this bigotry.
In 2020, about 1% of Georgia's population, or 37,000 people, were Catholic. They are mostly found in Tbilisi or in the southern region of the country. There are only about 1000 practicing Catholics in Tbilisi. Many other Catholic churches were confiscated by the Georgian Orthodox Church after the fall of communism when the state gave all church property back to the Georgian Orthodox Church. Recently, a new seminary has been completed on the outskirts of Tbilisi. A Catholic church is also present in Sukhumi, in Abkhazia, and in Vale, Akhaltsikhe, Gori, and Batumi.
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Catholic Georgians in the Ottoman Empire
The Georgian Catholic Church, since the 11th-century East-West Schism, has been predominantly composed of Latin Rite Catholics. Georgian Catholic communities of the Armenian Rite have existed in the country since the 18th century. A small Georgian Byzantine Rite Catholic community has also existed for several centuries.
In Istanbul in 1861, an ethnic Georgian and former Mekhitarist priest, Father Peter Kharischirashvili (also known as Pétre Kharistshirashvili or Karishiaranti), founded the first two religious congregations of the Georgian Greek Catholic Church: the Servites of the Immaculate Conception, one for men and the other for women. These congregations served Georgian Catholics living in the then-capital of the Ottoman Empire, Constantinople, as well as in Montaubon, France. The congregations were under the authority of the local Latin Catholic bishop, but they allowed Georgian Catholics to worship in the Byzantine Rite in Old Georgian. Both congregations survived until the late 1950s, and the building that housed the male congregation, Fery-Quoa, still stands in Istanbul, now in private ownership.
In the 19th century, some Georgian Catholics wished to use the Byzantine Rite in Old Georgian, but this was outlawed by the tsars after the Synod of Polotsk of 1839. As a result, some Georgian Catholic clergy and laity adopted the Armenian Rite. It was only after the Russian Revolution of 1905, which granted religious freedom, that some Georgian Catholics resumed the Byzantine Rite. However, they never reached the stage of having a separate diocese or particular church established for them.
In 1918, during a brief period of Georgian independence, some influential Georgian Orthodox figures expressed interest in reunification with the Holy See, and an envoy was sent from the Vatican in 1919 to examine the situation. However, due to the onset of the civil war and the Soviet invasion, this did not come to fruition. In 1920, it was estimated that there were 40,000 Catholics in Georgia, with 32,000 Latins and the remainder being Armenian Catholics.
In the newly independent Democratic Republic of Georgia, nine Servite missionaries from Constantinople, led by Exarch Shio Batmanishvili, worked to permanently establish Catholicism of the Byzantine Rite in Old Georgian. By 1929, their congregation had grown to 8,000 members. However, their mission ended with the arrests, imprisonment, and subsequent execution of Shio Batmanishvili and his priests by Joseph Stalin's NKVD in 1937.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Georgia was not founded on Catholic principles. In fact, Georgia's Royal Charter specifically denied Catholics the right to worship in the colony.
Yes, but not until the 1789 Constitution, which abolished the last official discrimination against Catholics. However, even then, Catholics could only practice their faith in towns and small settlements of their own.
In the late 19th century, Georgia witnessed a marked rise in anti-Catholicism. In the 20th century, the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan in 1915 led to attacks on Catholics.
