The Beginning till 1976
The Catholic population in Metro Atlanta was blessed when the most Reverend Gerald P. O’Hara, Bishop of the combined diocese of Atlanta-Savannah, in a letter dated Sept. 17, 1952, appointed the Rev. Fr. George T. Daly as first pastor for the Catholic community in Hapeville, Georgia. This was made possible in the spring of 1952 with the encouraging results from the census survey requested by the Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Savannah – Atlanta, the most Reverend Francis E. Hyland. That survey revealed that South Metro Atlanta has more than 800 Catholic families with 101 Catholic families in Hapeville alone. The city of Hapeville assisted the Catholic congregation by giving permission to use their recreation center for celebration of Sunday and Holyday Liturgies.
The creation of St. John the Evangelist’s church began with the contribution of a valuable piece of property for the Church by Mrs. John K. Kuhn. On May 28, 1952, the 8.5 acre property between Sunset Avenue and I-75 along Arnold Street was purchased as a gift by the Rev. Joseph R. Smith, pastor of St. Anthony’s. With hard work and several fund raisers by the determined initial Catholic congregation, building of a Catholic church progressed, encouraged on Sept. 7, 1953 with the announcement by Bishop Hyland that the Sisters of Mercy has agreed to send four sisters for the parish school.
On January 5, 1960, St. John’s was saddened by the sudden death of their first pastor, Fr. Daly. Fr. John O’Shea was soon assigned as the second pastor of St. John’s Church. During his twelve years of service, the rectory on Sunset Avenue and the convent on Arnold Street were built and were dedicated in 1965. In 1972, St. John’s welcomed its third pastor, Rev. Richard B. Morrow. During his time, the parish became the center for growing Vietnamese community in Atlanta, further encouraged in 1976 when Rev. Francis Phuoung joined St. John’s.
1976 to the Present…
On May 28, 1987, St. John’s witnessed the ordination of its first permanent Deacon, Rev. Mr. Richard F. Beckman. St. Johns was blessed in January 1988 when it received a $ 500,000 gift from the estate of parishioner, Catherine Fitzgerald, which helped to build a gymnasium, dedicated in 1990. When the Sisters of Mercy left the school in 1989, the first lay principal, Ms. Sallie McQuaid, was appointed. The departure of the sisters led to a decision to convert the convent into needed Parish office space and meeting rooms. In 1989, St. John’s welcomed its 5th pastor, Rev. Ray Horan. In 1991, Rev. Mr. Hank Akers was ordained and joined St. Johns staff as the 2nd permanent Deacon. Sr. Maria Carmel Rondinelli of the Sisters of Mercy was appointed full time director of the parish social ministry.
In February of 1996, St Johns received a team of Redemptorist priests for its pastoral care, Rev. Fr. Vincent J. Douglass, the seventh pastor. With the growth of the Spanish speaking community at St. John’s, the need for Mass in Spanish was recognized and in April 1996, Mass in Spanish began to be offered every third Saturday, later moved to Sunday. Ms. Karen Vogtner, alumna of St. John’s School and a staff member, was appointed principal in 1999.