ATLANTA—Father Robbie Cotta, who sensed his strongest call to the priesthood while attending the first Mass of a newly ordained friend, will be the speaker at the next Magnificat gathering for women. The event will be on Saturday, March 16. Father Cotta is a parochial vicar at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church and the part-time chaplain at St. Pius X High School. 

All women are invited to attend the Magnificat meal, which will be held at Holy Cross Church in Atlanta from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Atlanta chapter of Magnificat hosts the meal, which includes breakfast, a time of praise and worship with music and the speaker’s testimony. 

The international Catholic women’s ministry is inspired by the joyful meeting of Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, related in the Gospel of St. Luke. 

Archdiocesan priest Father Robbie Cotta will be the speaker at the March Magnificat program at Holy Cross Church. Photo by Elizabeth C. Buergler

Father Cotta was born and raised in Johns Creek. He grew up attending St. Benedict Church with his parents and younger sister. It was there while serving as an altar server at Sunday Mass that he was first attracted to a vocation to the priesthood and told his parents he wanted to be a priest.  

His family moved to St. Brigid in 2005 where he became an active member of the parish’s Life Teen program. He graduated from Chattahoochee High School and attended Georgia Southern University where he studied multimedia communications and political science. The attraction to the priesthood faded in high school and college, and he looked forward to a career in broadcast journalism.  

That all changed during the summer of 2013 when Father Cotta was home prior to his final semester of college. He attended the first Mass of a friend who had been ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. During that Mass, moved to tears, he became certain that God was indeed calling him to the priesthood. 

After graduating from Georgia Southern, Father Cotta entered the seminary formation program for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. He studied theology at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago, where he earned the Master of Divinity degree. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Atlanta in June of 2021.  

Father Cotta is in his first assignment as a parochial vicar and as a part-time high school chaplain. 

In his free time, Father Cotta enjoys riding his motorcycle, playing golf and disc golf, fishing and time with friends and family.  

The Magnificat ministry began in the Archdiocese of New Orleans and has spread throughout the world. Chapters are under the guidance of the local bishop. The Atlanta Joyful Visitation chapter has been active since 1992. The purpose is to help women open more to the Holy Spirit through a deeper commitment of their lives to Jesus as Lord and to impart the Holy Spirit to one another by their love, service and sharing the good news of salvation. 

Advance reservations for the gathering are required and can be made either online or through the mail. The cost is $25 per person. No tickets are sent. Check-in is at the door for those with reservations only. 

To register online, visit http://tinyurl.com/Magnificat0424. Those who have provided contact information to the ministry will receive an invitation by email. To be added to that list, please send a request to joyfulvisitation@gmail.com.  

To register by mail, please send your name, address, parish if applicable, contact information, and a check made payable to Magnificat Joyful Visitation to Debbie DuPont, 315 Rose Court, SW, Lilburn, GA 30047. Online registration closes on Wednesday, March 6. Mailed reservations must be postmarked by March 2.  

The doors open early. Guests are encouraged to arrive by 9 a.m. Holy Cross is located at 3773 Chamblee Tucker Road, Atlanta, less than a mile from the Chamblee Tucker Road exit on Interstate 285. 

Priests and religious are invited to attend free of charge, but reservations are still requested to plan for the meal. Since the morning is designed to speak to the hearts of women free of distractions, it is respectfully requested that young children not attend. 

For information, contact Debbie at 770-696-6216.