Photo by Andrew Nelson

BROOKHAVEN—The last Marist priests to serve at Our Lady of the Assumption Church are to depart after nearly 60 years. 

The move comes amid a decline in vocations within the religious community, with the Archdiocese of Atlanta preparing to take over the Brookhaven church. It is the second time in as many years that a religious community has left the area with fewer priests to serve. 

Father Jim Duffy, SM, who has spent 25 years at the parish northeast of downtown Atlanta, said this decision was years in the making, as the youngest priest in the province is in his late 60s. 

Father Duffy, 74, said as the sadness passes, he hopes people are proud of the parish that the laity, with the collaboration of many Marist priests, have built over the decades. 

There are some 70 ministries, a vibrant community with a diverse culture of languages and people, a financially generous parish aiding others, and a thriving school, he said.  

“Pat yourself on the back,” added the New York native.  

He said he wants people to keep on being service focused during the next months and going forward after the change in clergy. The transition is scheduled to happen at the end of June 2025, closing a chapter at the parish that began in 1965. 

Our Lady of Assumption Church in Brookhaven has been staffed by Marist priests for close to 60 years. In June 2025, the religious community will return the parish to the care of clergy of the Atlanta Archdiocese due to declining numbers of Marists priest to serve there.

19th Century beginnings 

The Marists, formally known as the Society of Mary, arrived in Atlanta in 1897 to staff Sacred Heart Basilica, then known as Sts. Peter and Paul Church. Marist School, originally Marist College, was founded in 1901 by the religious community. The school was initially located in downtown Atlanta, near Peachtree Center Avenue, but relocated to Dunwoody in 1962. 

Around that time, the Marists returned Sacred Heart Church to the care of archdiocesan priests. Instead, they requested a parish closer to the school. Marist priests have staffed Our Lady of the Assumption Church ever since.  

The Marists will continue to serve at their college prep school. Once numbering more than a dozen, the community on campus has shrunk to a handful, said Father Duffy, who recently marked 50 years as a member of the Society of Mary. 

News reaches parishioners 

Parishioners heard the news at Mass in late October. Text messages and phone calls began circulating after the Saturday evening Mass. 

“It is difficult for the Marists to give up the pastoral responsibilities for Our Lady of the Assumption Parish,” stated a letter from the Society of Mary superior, Father Joseph Hindelang, SM “We hope that we are leaving strong Marist values and traditions which will endure into the future.” 

The Atlanta church is one of the last parishes in the United States overseen by Marist priests, he said. The experience of serving at the church has been a “real privilege and a blessing,” he added. 

People in the pews reacted with tears. There are some 1,800 registered families, along with hundreds of Hispanic families, and the church is also a hub for Indonesian Catholics in the Atlanta area. 

“I cried. I looked around, and there were a lot of people crying,” said Pier Keegan, a member for close to 40 years. 

Carolyn Skibitski, left, and Morgan Jones were prayed over by Marist Father Jim Duffy and the community as they were installed as extraordinary ministers of communion at Our Lady of Assumption Church Nov. 24. The teenagers will help clergy distribute communion during Mass.

For Keegan, the Marist spirituality of serving “hidden and unknown” with attentive service stands out, especially at funerals. The Marists are kind and understanding to everyone during their worst moments, she said. 

Anne Stephens, the parish communications director, said she has witnessed the Marist priests live out their community’s motto when caring for people who arrive in their offices broken and upset. “Then people leave with a renewed spirit of hope, with smiles on their faces,” she said. 

The Marist community expects to pack up to leave the parish this summer. Father Duffy said preparations are underway to ensure a smooth transition as the parish reflects on its legacy.  

A large party is scheduled for May to bring together all parts of parish life. 

Part of that heritage is empowering laypeople to take an active role in running the parish. People want to be invested in their faith life, and one way to do that is to entrust them with decision-making and ownership, he said. 

His hope is that parishioners have been formed by decades of Marist spirituality, leaning on the foundation of Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy, Mother of Hope. That is the community’s way—a lesson all Marist priests strive to live out, inspiring mercy and hope, he said.