Parish history
St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church is a Latin Rite parish serving the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The Diocese of Atlanta was established in 1956. The northern 71 counties of the state were separated from the Diocese of Savannah and assigned to the new diocese, giving the state two dioceses. (Their number was later reduced to 69 when two counties were returned to the jurisdiction of Savannah.)
At the time, the Diocese of Atlanta, which covered 23,000 square miles, numbered 23,600 Catholics in 23 parishes and 12 missions. The population in this region totaled 1,800,000. In 1962, the Diocese of Atlanta was elevated to the status of Archdiocese, becoming the center of an ecclesiastical province which covered the states of Georgia, North and South Carolina and Florida. (Florida was detached in 1969 to become the province of Miami.) In 1962 the Catholic population of the Archdiocese numbered 32,000 out of a total population of 2,153,000.
Permission for Mass according to the rubrics of 1962 was given by Archbishop John F. Donoghue. The reinstatement of the Rite began at Sacred Heart Church with the kind and generous support of its pastor, Fr. Stephen Churchwell. In 1994 the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter began saying the Latin Mass at Sacred Heart. The St. Francis de Sales Latin Mass Community was founded in 1995 with the arrival of a full time priest. A rectory was established in Alpharetta and the Sunday Mass was moved to St. Joseph's Maronite Church in Atlanta. In 1998, the community was hosted at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish where a Sunday Mass at the Kelly & Leak Funeral Home was added. In January of 1999, St. Francis de Sales finally found a permanent home in Mableton. The Grace Baptist Church was purchased and the first Mass was said in the new home in January. In January, 1999, St. Francis de Sales was raised to the status of a Parish, and Rev. Mark F. Fischer, FSSP, was named the founding pastor. He was later joined by Rev. Nicholas Zolnerowicz, FSSP, who served as Parochial Vicar until his recent retirement.
In the Spring of 2003, Rev. Robert Fromageot, FSSP, became the pastor of St. Francis de Sales. In July of 2004, he was moved to Rome, where he is continuing his studies. Fr. Fromageot was replaced by Rev. Denis G. Bouchard, FSSP. He is assisted by Rev. Laurent Demets, FSSP, who now serves as Assistant Pastor. Today, St. Francis de Sales continues its growth as it serves the needs of those faithful attached to the Traditions of the Latin Rite, under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.